Research Protocol
Comparative Efficacy of Ventilator Nursing Clinical Pathway versus Paediatric Ventilation Guidelines in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Research Protocol
LK08-LK12
Correspondence
Dr. Khushbu Manohar Meshram,
Assistant Professor, Department of Child Health Nursing, Smt. Radhikabai Meghe Memorial College of Nursing DMIHER (DU), Wardha-442001, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: khushbupande86@gmail.com
Introduction: Many critically ill children in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) require mechanical ventilation. Despite lung-protective strategies, ventilation-related complications remain common, emphasising the need for effective management and prevention.
Need of the study: Through constant observation and intervention, nurses are essential to the care of children on mechanical ventilation. However, organised, nurse-led care is not given much attention in the current paediatric ventilation recommendations, and inconsistent nursing practice, expertise, and protocol execution may result in less-than-ideal patient outcomes.
Aim: To compare the efficacy of the Ventilator Nursing Clinical Pathway (VNCP) versus paediatric ventilation guidelines for children on mechanical ventilators at the PICU for improvement in clinical outcomes.
Materials and Methods: The present two-arm parallel superiority randomised controlled trial will be conducted at Smt Radhikabai Meghe Memorial College of Nursing, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha, Maharashtra, India, from June 2026 to June 2027. There will be two stages to the study: In Phase I, the VNCP will be developed and validated by experts; in Phase II, the VNCP’s efficacy will be compared with standard nursing care for children on mechanical ventilation between the ages of one month and twelve. Random assignment will be used to place eligible individuals in either the intervention group (VNCP) or the control group (routine care). Continuous variables will be compared using the independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, categorical data using the Chi-square test, and longitudinal data using repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). A p-value of <0.05 will be deemed statistically significant.