Other Titles
Interprofessional Plan of Care: Reducing Intubation Time With Spontaneous Awakening Trials [Title Slide]
Abstract
Prolonged time on mechanical ventilation leads to an increased risk of ventilator-associated complications, prolonged hospital stays, increased hospital costs, and increased mortality (Haribhai & Mahboobi, 2022). The implementation of Spontaneous Awakening Trial (SAT) protocols in the intensive care unit (ICU) led to shorter use of sedation, increased spontaneous breathing trials (SBT), and shortened vent durations (Green & Staffileno, 2021). However, nurses may not perform SATs daily due to concerns for patient comfort, safety, and ventilation asynchrony (Ketcham et al., 2022).
This project aimed to increase SATs performed on intubated patients and decrease time to extubation. The IOWA model framework was used to answer the clinical question: In mechanically ventilated patients on sedation, what is the effect of promoting daily SATs using targeted nursing education and point-of-care reminder prompts on time to extubation? Education was provided to emphasize the significance of SATs and safe SAT eligibility in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) using presentations, badge buddies, and reminder prompts on unit computers. Pre-implementation data showed the median days of intubation being 3.6.
The project was conducted in a 14-bed MICU and implemented over three months, from October of 2023 to January of 2024. The project discovered that increasing education and following up with reminders led to increased SATs, resulting in one less ventilator day. The median days of intubation post-implementation were 2.44.
This project implies that better SAT protocol compliance can lead to shorter durations of intubation for critically ill patients. Research shows that nurses who received education about sedation weaning had patients with significantly shorter ICU length of stay, fewer days on the ventilator, and fewer ventilator-associated complications (Lee et al., 2017).
Notes
References:
Haribhai S, Mahboobi SK. Ventilator Complications. [Updated 2022 Sep 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560535/
Green, S., & Staffileno, B. A. (2021). Favorable Outcomes After Implementing a Nurse-Driven Sedation Protocol. Critical care nurse, 41(6), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2021625
Ketcham, S. W., Adie, S. K., Brummel, K., Walker, E., Prescott, H. C., & Thomas, M. P. (2022). Implementation of a Nurse-Driven Spontaneous Awakening Trial Protocol in a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Critical care nurse, 42(2), 56–61. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2022114
Lee, Y. L., Sims, K. D., Butts, C. C., Frotan, M. A., Kahn, S., Brevard, S. B., & Simmons, J. D. (2017). The Combination of SAT and SBT Protocols May Help Reduce the Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Burn Intensive Care Unit. Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association, 38(2), e574–e579. https://doi.org/10.1097/BCR.0000000000000451
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Acute Care, Interprofessional Initiatives, Instrument and Tool Development, Clinical Practice, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Intubation, Mechanical Ventilation
Recommended Citation
Cepeda Reinoso, Melany and Browne, Erica, "Reducing Intubation Time with Spontaneous Awakening Trials" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 92.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/92
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-26
Reducing Intubation Time with Spontaneous Awakening Trials
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Prolonged time on mechanical ventilation leads to an increased risk of ventilator-associated complications, prolonged hospital stays, increased hospital costs, and increased mortality (Haribhai & Mahboobi, 2022). The implementation of Spontaneous Awakening Trial (SAT) protocols in the intensive care unit (ICU) led to shorter use of sedation, increased spontaneous breathing trials (SBT), and shortened vent durations (Green & Staffileno, 2021). However, nurses may not perform SATs daily due to concerns for patient comfort, safety, and ventilation asynchrony (Ketcham et al., 2022).
This project aimed to increase SATs performed on intubated patients and decrease time to extubation. The IOWA model framework was used to answer the clinical question: In mechanically ventilated patients on sedation, what is the effect of promoting daily SATs using targeted nursing education and point-of-care reminder prompts on time to extubation? Education was provided to emphasize the significance of SATs and safe SAT eligibility in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) using presentations, badge buddies, and reminder prompts on unit computers. Pre-implementation data showed the median days of intubation being 3.6.
The project was conducted in a 14-bed MICU and implemented over three months, from October of 2023 to January of 2024. The project discovered that increasing education and following up with reminders led to increased SATs, resulting in one less ventilator day. The median days of intubation post-implementation were 2.44.
This project implies that better SAT protocol compliance can lead to shorter durations of intubation for critically ill patients. Research shows that nurses who received education about sedation weaning had patients with significantly shorter ICU length of stay, fewer days on the ventilator, and fewer ventilator-associated complications (Lee et al., 2017).
Description
The study aimed to increase Spontaneous Awakening Trial (SAT) protocols in ICUs to reduce ventilator-associated complications. The IOWA model framework was used to assess the effect of promoting daily SATs using nursing education and reminder prompts. The project found that increased education and reminders led to increased SATs, resulting in one less ventilator day. This suggests that better SAT protocol compliance can lead to shorter intubation durations for critically ill patients.