Utilizing PPCO and the Mountain Model to Guide Clinical Improvement

• Published in: Journal for nurse practitioners 2024-10, Vol.20 (9), p.105181, Article 105181
• Main Authors: Guthrie-Chu, Cara, Dunlap, Jayne Jennings
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological organs; Blood & organ donations; Boolean; Brain death; Brain research; Donations; donor management; Donors; Evidence-based practice; Hemodynamics; intensive care; Intervention; Leadership; Mountains; organ donation; potential organ donor; Quality improvement; Quality management; Transplants & implants; Traumatic brain injury
• ISSN: 1555-4155; 1878-058X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2024.105181

This article describes a nurse practitioner–led project that uses PPCO (Problem, Population, Change, and Outcome) and the Mountain Model to guide an evidence-based practice quality improvement–focused initiative. These combined methods form an umbrella framework, guiding searches for relevant external literature and implementing sustainable evidence-based practice quality improvement enterprises. This initiative aims to improve organ and tissue donation outcomes through multidimensional process enhancements at an established donor and transplant hospital in the United States. The article includes search strings and search results, a comparison of evidence-searching questions, and the initial application of the Mountain Model to the selected clinical problem. •PPCO (Problem, Population, Change, and Outcome) and the Mountain Model facilitate a streamlined evidence-based practice quality improvement (EBPQI) approach.•PPCO is problem focused, offering increased utility for nonresearch questions.•The Mountain Model provides practical advantages over separate evidence-based practice and quality improvement models.•An EBPQI model can effectively guide clinical scholarship for critical care-based problems.