The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) will provide oversight for a research study that is seeking a better understanding of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP).
The study will be conducted in a variety of hospital settings to determine the incidence of NV-HAP in hospitalized patients, a complication that may be underreported.
According to NPSF, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which occurs in patients who require mechanical assistance in breathing, has long been a target of patient safety efforts because of the high risk to patients in intensive care units.
Recent studies suggest, however, that large numbers of patients not on ventilators may also contract pneumonia while hospitalized, leading to extended hospital stays and treatment for patients and added costs of care.
Barbara Quinn, clinical nurse specialist at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento and Dian Baker, professor of nursing, California State University, Sacramento, are principal investigators of the study.
They will lead a team of researchers at 15 sites throughout the country, representing small, medium, and large hospitals. The research teams will conduct chart review to assess the incidence of NV-VAP in hospitalized patients. The Sutter Institute for Medical Research will serve as a central point of data collection and processing for the study.
“Our previous research suggests that NV-VAP is an under-studied and under-reported hospital-acquired infection,” said Quinn. “The replication study is a national, multisite study seeking to more extensively quantify the potential scope of NV-HAP in all types of hospitals.”
Tejal Gandhi, president and chief executive officer of NPSF, added: “Our foundation’s role in the study will be to recruit clinicians who have expertise in pneumonia prevention as well as the conduct of research to serve on an oversight committee that will monitor and guide the work of these researchers. This is an important new area of inquiry for prevention strategies.”
NPSF, NV-HAP, Barbara Quinn, Risk Management, Tejal Gandhi
