Evaluation of Implementation and Unit Impact of a Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy Guideline: A Model-Based Approach.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. To address this, a large Midwestern hospital initiated a practice guideline. Practice guidelines should improve outcomes, but implementation of these remains challenging. At the time of initiation of the guideline, no implementation or evaluation plan was conceived.

Objective: Evaluate the implementation and unit impact of a guideline for the management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in a large academic health system in the Midwest.

Methods: Six objectives, guided by the constructs of the Ottawa Model of Research Utilization, were operationalized to evaluate the implementation and unit impact of the guideline.

Results: The guideline implemented was consistent with national recommendations. Intervention education was inconsistent across provider types. A survey of staff revealed insight into a unit in the midst of practice change. A chart review revealed below-target management of patients with severe range blood pressures. Not following the guideline was associated with hospital readmission.

Conclusions: Guideline implementation can be efficiently and holistically evaluated with a model-based framework, even in projects that were not initiated with such an approach.

Implications for nursing practice: Nurses provide expertise in model-based approaches that result in comprehensive evaluations of quality improvement processes.