Decreasing Length of Stay in Opioid Withdrawal.

Introduction: In 2017, more than 1,200 opioid-related deaths were reported in Virginia, with slightly fewer in 2018, at 1,193 deaths. The current opioid crisis has placed a strain on an already limited number of mental health (MH) inpatient beds. The industry standard for assessment and treatment of opioid withdrawal symptoms, in the inpatient setting, is the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS), and yet some units continue to utilize the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-Ar) for this population.

Aim: The purpose of this nurse-led performance improvement project was to implement COWS in the inpatient MH setting and improve length of stay (LOS) by 1 day.

Method: In 2018, in a large federal teaching facility in the mid-Atlantic region, the COWS was implemented to replace the CIWA-Ar for opioid withdrawal, with the focus on decreasing LOS. Prior to implementation of COWS, LOS on the inpatient MH unit for opioid withdrawal was 8.6 days, which was higher than the ~6- to 7-day LOS for surrounding private sector hospitals. Individual electronic medical records were reviewed for LOS and completion of COWS and pertinent details were discussed daily with nursing staff and monthly with the interdisciplinary team. Baseline data were collected from April 2017 to March 2018, with data collection continuing through the project implementation, April to September 2018.

Results: Completion of COWS on 100% of patients admitted with opioid withdrawal and a decrease in LOS from 8.6 to 4.7 days was found, a 45% reduction.

Conclusion: The nurse-driven performance improvement project affected business acumen, through decreased LOS, as well as quality of care, through better symptom management.