Development of safety protocols for managing thirst in post-extubated and tracheostomized patients.
Isabela Bossi Faleiros, Meiriane Pizani Scobare de Oliveira, Aline Franco da Rocha and 1 others
PMID 40332192WHAT IT FOUND
Two ICU flowcharts give nurses safety checks before relieving thirst in post-extubated or tracheostomized patients.
Expert review accepted them, but no patients were studied, so they show how to assess safety, not that relief works.
Key findings
01Two safety flowcharts were developed: SEDE-E for post-extubated patients and SEDE-T for tracheostomized patients.
02The protocols list safety checks: consciousness, ability to swallow and cough, pulse oximetry, no nausea or vomiting, voice change, and tracheostomy tube dysfunction.
03Experts recommended the protocols with 87% agreement in favor of the intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
No patients were enrolled, and no clinical outcomes were measured. The protocols were judged by 16 experts, mostly from two hospitals in Brazil, so they may not fit other units or countries. Only one Delphi round was used, and expert opinion is a low level of evidence. Some validation items were below the 80% agreement target and required changes. There are few studies on safety criteria for thirst management in tracheostomized patients.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 87% expert agreement as proof that the protocols are safe or effective for patients. No patients were studied, and the paper only developed and had experts rate the flowcharts.