Journal of nursing care quality
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Adverse events in hospitalized patients are preceded by clinical signs of decline. Thus, early recognition and intervention should improve patient outcomes. ⋯ On the basis of the outcomes at our hospital, we conclude that there is benefit to having an RRT. The following article outlines processes for RRT implementation and our outcomes to date.
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Ventilator-associated pneumonia is one of the most frequent complications among critically ill patients. Growth of pathogenic bacteria in dental plaque may serve as the source of these infections. This performance improvement initiative evaluated an aggressive oral care approach to prevent the accumulation of plaque containing bacteria. Our data support the use of these oral care measures and deep oral-pharyngeal suctioning for the prevention of aspiration of oral contents.