American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jan 2016
Standardized Intensive Care - Protocol Misalignment and Impact Misattribution.
Guidelines, protocols, and checklists (together called "protocols") can be immensely helpful in the clinical arena. However, clinicians and health care systems relying on protocols must assess whether benefits are being accrued, whether such "benefits" are real, and whether harm can be detected. ⋯ We describe two concepts, "protocol misalignment" and "protocol misattribution," and discuss how understanding these concepts might help improve outcome and prevent unanticipated harm. Ultimately, applying protocols to the same standards of proof as other interventions might increase insight and help ensure "true" patient benefit.
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jan 2016
Observational StudyHospital Incidence and Outcomes of ARDS Using the Kigali Modification of the Berlin Definition.
Estimates of the incidence of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in high- and middle-income countries vary from 10.1 to 86.2 per 100,000 person-years in the general population. The epidemiology of ARDS has not been reported for a low-income country at the level of the population, hospital, or intensive care unit (ICU). The Berlin definition may not allow identification of ARDS in resource-constrained settings. ⋯ ARDS seems to be a common and fatal syndrome in a hospital in Rwanda, with few patients admitted to an ICU. The Berlin definition is likely to underestimate the impact of ARDS in low-income countries, where resources to meet the definition requirements are lacking. Although the Kigali modification requires validation before widespread use, we hope this study stimulates further work in refining an ARDS definition that can be consistently used in all settings.