Korean J Adult Nurs.  2013 Jun;25(3):250-262.

Development and Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Nursing Protocol for Fever Management in Adult Patients

• Shin YS
• Kim SR
• Yoo SH
• Kim SH
• Kim JH
• Kim HJ
• Na R
• Chae JS
• Lee HJ
• An YH
• Kim KO

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was designed to develop, to implement and evaluate a fever management nursing protocol for adult patients.
METHODS
This study was conducted through seven steps following both the guideline development procedures of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the Model of the Asan Medical Center Evidence-Based Practice, as follows: 1) identifying the clinical needs and composition of the protocol development group; 2) identifying and evaluating the evidence; 3) assessing the level of evidence and grading recommendations; 4) forming a protocol; 5) evaluating the protocol using an expert group validity test and identifying barriers to its implementation; 6) protocol development; and 7) evaluation of practical improvement measures following implementation of the protocol.
RESULTS
The evidence-based protocol for fever management in adult patients was completed and includes five domains and 15 items. The protocol had good content validity (CVI=.90) and nursing practice could be improved after implementation of the protocol.
CONCLUSION
This nursing protocol can be used as a guide for nursing in febrile adult patients. We recommend that further guidelines be updated in an interdisciplinary manner in order to foster local adaptation of the best clinical practices.

MeSH Terms

Adult
Evidence-Based Nursing
Evidence-Based Practice
Fever
Humans
Nursing Assessment

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