Implementation
Formation of a multidisciplinary team was the first step.
The PEWS team included staff nurses, educators, charge
nurses, residents, oncologists, a hematologist, unit nursing
leadership, performance improvement facilitators,
and an ICU staff member and leadership staff from the
unit where PEWS was initially implemented at CCHMC.
The initial PEWS implementation was planned for the
hematology/oncology unit, and subsequent implementation
for the more complex and acutely ill blood andmarrow transplant population was planned for a later
time once the process was well established on the hematology/oncology
unit (see Figures 3-5).
Historical data were collected pertaining to unplanned
ICU transfers from the oncology unit, changes in patients’
clinical status, frequency of calls to the RRT, and preventable
code rates. These data would serve as a baseline, which
could be compared with postimplementation findings.
The plan for introducing the PEWS and the associated
algorithm was divided into a series of smaller steps with
specific project aims. The planning team defined and prioritized
project aims, identified the key drivers of each
specific aim, and designed interventions directed at the
aim with an associated timeline (Figures 6 and 7). Rapid
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were implemented
using small tests of change. The data from the PDSA
cycles were continuously collected, analyzed, and reviewed
with the multidisciplinary staff and planning team and
used to give ongoing direction to the implementation plan