| Abstract | Blunt abdominal trauma is one of the most prevalent and fatal injuries presenting in emergency departments (Mofidi et al., 2009). Due to high mortality rates, blunt abdominal trauma generally has a poor prognosis if undetected injuries lead to a delayed recognition of the need for a laparotomy, which increases a patient's risks for surgical complications. Researchers are utilizing many indicators, including base deficit, to identify the need for operating room (OR) intervention. The student researcher will conduct a concept analysis using Walker and Avant's (2005) eight-step model to explore base deficit. The purpose of this Honors Thesis is to analyze base deficit as a concept to better understand the role it plays in multiple patient clinical scenarios. The completion of a concept analysis will allow the use of this knowledge to inform clinical decision making. The goal is to provide information to a current ongoing research study at John Peter Smith Hospital. Researchers are looking at how different variables in combination with one another can indicate the need for OR intervention. Once these variables are identified, healthcare staff could potentially use electronic health records (EHR) to send alerts allowing medical providers to use these indicators to identify earlier in the treatment process when a patient needs operative intervention. |
