Ineffective Airway Clearance in Surgical Patients: Evaluation of Nursing Interventions and Outcomes

PURPOSE: To evaluate the benefits of NIC interventions in postoperative patients with ineffective airway clearance (00031). METHODS: Quasi-experimental study with interrupted time-series design. A total of 101 patients were evaluated during 4 days based on the nursing outcome Respiratory Status: Airway Patency (0410). FINDINGS: Interventions such as cough enhancement (3250), ventilation assistance (3390), and airway management (3140) contributed to significative improvements of the patients' airway patency. Site of surgery and patients' intrinsic characteristics were proven to have influence in the NOC ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions implemented during the research contributed to improvement of clinical indicators of airway patency. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Postoperative respiratory complications can be minimized by the use of standardized nursing languages.