Among critically ill patients in acute-care facilities, pneumonia is one of the most common hospital acquired infections. Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection in intensive care units (ICU), and represents 31% of all ICU acquired infections. As VAP is linked with higher morbidity, mortality and costs, preventing ventilated patients from developing VAP is an important patient safety objective. The autonomous nursing-intervention bundle interrupted transmission of microorganisms to the lower respiratory tract. This bundle matches interventions with the two processes known to cause VAP. Bundling the interventions significantly contributed to reducing VAP in critically ill patients, indicating that applying consistent interventions can reduce risk and improve patient outcomes. The concept of matching interventions to the cause of a specific problem can be generalized to address other healthcare challenges. Once interventions are matched to the cause of the problem, nursing interventions can be bundled and evidence can be incorporated into nursing practice and policy.
The literature includes extensive discussion of VAP diagnosis and treatment, along with interventions attributed to reducing its incidence. This article describes a “bundle" of autonomous nursing interventions that can help prevent both of the etiologic processes above and improve patient outcomes