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Volume 16, Number 1, pages 20 - 23
Our peritonitis continuous quality improvement project: Where there is a will there is a way
By Linda Nasso, RN, CNeph(C) Abstract
Peritonitis was a significant problem for our peritoneal dialy- sis patients in 2003. In January 2004, we initiated a contin- uous quality improvement project to address the problem. Our project took 18 months to complete. We developed many action items. Our first step was to analyze the data to ensure accura- cy, and also to determine the causative organism that con- tributed most to the problem. The other steps we took included more education for the home dialysis nurses, creation of a home visit form, revisions to routine doctors' orders, revision of PD education tools, use of specialty materials for high-risk patients, one-time use for all drain equipment, change to peritonitis treatments and, lastly, group education for our patients. After taking all of these steps, there was no improvement to our peri- tonitis rates after a 12-month period. New action items were developed and included making changes to patient training and developing a home visit protocol. We also created a part- nership with our local Community Care Access Centre and taught our community nurses how to help our patients with their peritoneal dialysis. It was after implementing these last changes that we noticed a significant improvement in our peri- tonitis rates. It was a lengthy and challenging process to go through but in the end, we are very pleased with our results. Not only has this improved the quality of our patients' lives, it has cut costs to our program, and has also helped us to expand our program significantly.
Author Affiliation(s): Linda Nasso, RN, CNeph(C) is a home dialysis nurse, Lakeridge Health, Whitby, Ontario.