Relate to nursing assessment and documentation and for any impact on nursing care delivery as it relates the use of restraints and/or sitters.

Outcomes of nursing care must be shown to relate to the specific care aspects of the process change (Frisch & Kelley, 2002). The general purpose of an evaluation is to measure the impact of the process change and to determine if compliance with all aspects of the process has been met. A 6-month pilot will be completed to test the efficacy and feasibility of a process change related to the early recognition and effective management of AW. The AW Protocol Quality Management/Performance Improvement Data Collection Tool (Appendix H) will be used when doing a retrospective audit of charts for all patients admitted with a principal, primary, or secondary diagnosis of AW during the 6-month trial period. Questions to be answered during that audit will include:

 Were the assessment tools (CAGE and CIWA-Ar) appropriately and successfully completed?

 Was the treatment protocol appropriately initiated?

 Was documentation adequately and appropriately completed based on the protocol and policy?

 Was additional supportive care in the form of restraints and/or sitters required?

Data collection for this evaluation process will be limited to a retrospective chart audit that may be labor intensive. However, the actual number of patients diagnosed with AW at Casa Grande Regional Medical Center (90 patients in 2008) may impact the time/work necessitated by this audit. Patient identification for the intent of the audit will be based on information obtained from Health Information Management (HIM), related to and restricted by admission diagnosis type as defined earlier.

Data for this pilot time frame will be collected by the author and prepared for oral presentation to identified groups. Handouts recalling the general outline of the process change/protocol and the results of the chart audit, in graph format, will be made available to all groups. The initial presentation will be made to the senior administrative group and will allow them to review and determine how the data may impact patient care and safety, as well as possible financial impact. The Medical Executive Board will receive the information to review for the appropriate use of the CAGE and CIWA-Ar tools in successfully and accurately identifying patients at risk and in need of treatment. As well, this group will examine the appropriateness of the protocol orders, specifically pharmacotherapy. They would further review data for the accuracy and efficacy of the documentation flowsheet as it relates to assessment and intervention. The nursing department directors will review the data and address the efficiency and efficacy of the assessment tools (CAGE and CIWA-Ar) and the treatment protocol as it relates to nursing assessment and documentation and for any impact on nursing care delivery as it relates the use of restraints and/or sitters.