numerous benefits:
• SSIs and blood transfusions decreased in spinal and total joint
patients.
• The rate of IPH-related blood transfusions declined from 6% to
4.6%.
• Patients reported an 8% increase in thermal comfort and a
decrease in anxiety.
• We realized significant cost savings on the laundering of cotton
blankets, which we previously used much more frequently to
warm patients.
• 58% our staff showed improvement in their understanding of inter-
ventions for maintaining normothermia and its impact on success-
ful surgical outcomes.
We were inspired to launch this nurse-driven study by AORN's and
ASPAN's recent evidence-based guidelines that suggest perioperative
nurses develop strategies within the plan of care to reduce IPH. Part
of our trial included providing education on the benefits of active
warming in relation to maintaining normothermia. Our pre-op staff
required education because applying forced-air warming involved a
completely different process than wrapping patients with the warmed
cotton blankets they used previously.
We also provided a lot of education on exactly what normothermia
is, along with the risk factors hypothermic patients face. Using online
surveys pre- and post-intervention, we noted significant improvement
in staff knowledge of the causes of IPH and the most effective inter-
ventions for maintaining normothermia. A lot of our staff didn't even
know prewarming made a difference.
Our pre-op staff used to cover patients in three, four or even five
cotton blankets. In the OR, before draping occurred, staff covered
patients with more blankets. Then in recovery, patients received even
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