Evaluating a nurse-managed alcohol withdrawal syndrome pathway: A symptom-triggered protocol study.

AIM: This retrospective, single-center nursing research study evaluates the effectiveness of a standardized, stepwise, nurse-managed protocol for Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS). The primary objective was to determine how nursing process measures-specifically Time to First AWS Assessment-associate with inpatient Length of Stay (LOS).

BACKGROUND

AWS significantly affects resource utilization. While symptom-triggered protocols are standard, empirical evidence is needed regarding nurse-managed models that grant autonomy in medication titration.

METHODS

We analyzed 419 patients managed under a nurse-managed Lorazepam protocol. Predictors of LOS were evaluated via hierarchical multiple regression, controlling for demographics and baseline severity.

RESULTS

Participants had an average age of 54.03 years (±14.98), with 72.3 % identifying as male and 83.8 % as White. The median time from admission to the first AWS assessment was 7 hours. The percentage of patients with moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms decreased from 48.3 % at the first AWS assessment to 21.7 % at the last evaluation. Hierarchical regression confirmed that Time to First AWS Assessment was a significant independent predictor of LOS (p < 0.05, 95 % CI [0.025, 0.125]), with every minute of delay associated with a proportional increase in stay duration.

CONCLUSIONS

Formalizing nurse autonomy through structured protocols improves clinical efficiency. While limited by its single-center design, the study suggests that early nursing intervention is a critical driver of reduced LOS.