Change to a Standardized Airway Clearance Protocol for Children With Bronchiolitis Leads to Improved Care 1

Nurses at a pediatric hospital identified the liberal utilization of deep nasopharyngeal (NP) suction as the primary airway clearance modality in young children with bronchiolitis. This invasive practice lacked supporting evidence and a standardized approach. Nurses created an interdisciplinary team to develop a less invasive airway clearance protocol. Data from 2 years, both pre and post protocol implementation, were analyzed. An 11% decrease in deep NP suctioning resulted in improved or unchanged balancing measures and perceptions of quality of care.