Clinical validation of the signs and symptoms and the nature of the respiratory nursing diagnoses in patients under invasive mechanical ventilation.

AIMS: The aims of this study were to validate the signs and symptoms of the respiratory nursing diagnoses impaired gas exchange, ineffective airway clearance and ineffective breathing pattern in patients under mechanical ventilation; to verify whether intubation time and ventilatory modalities were related factors for respiratory nursing diagnoses; to verify the occurrence of shared signs and symptoms in the diagnoses and compare them with North American Nursing Diagnosis Association's proposition and to ascertain whether respiratory nursing diagnoses occur in isolated or associated patterns.

BACKGROUND: The need for mechanical ventilation is common in several patients admitted to intensive care units. Therefore, critical care nurses should identify the respiratory nursing diagnoses of high incidence.

DESIGN AND METHODS: Descriptive observational study, with 177 evaluations of surgical and medical critically ill adult patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. The study adopted Fehring's Modified Clinical Diagnostic Validity Model, with a suggested alteration.

RESULTS: The critical signs and symptoms were the same as proposed by North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, when the diagnoses were separately identified, although no particular sign and symptom was found for ineffective breathing pattern. Impaired gas exchange and ineffective airway clearance were identified as having 88 (49.7%) evaluations sharing the critical signs and symptoms. Intubation time and ventilation modality were related factors for the development of ineffective airway clearance and ineffective breathing pattern.

CONCLUSION: The critical signs and symptoms of impaired gas exchange were abnormal blood gases and hypoxemia. For ineffective airway clearance, they were rhonchi and decreased breath sounds. No highlights were found for ineffective breathing pattern signs and symptoms. Validation by experts has confirmed these findings. The interface between ineffective airway clearance and impaired gas exchange was confirmed by the presence of the shared critical signs and symptoms.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Studies like this are relevant to clinical practice because they evaluate the adequacy of Taxonomy II for patients under mechanical ventilation in clinical practice, thus allowing for the intensive care nurses to go from one mechanical and routine practice to a critical, reflexive practice, committed to professional progress.