Preeclampsia: Implementation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Standardized Protocol

Preeclampsia is a significant medical condition that affects the perinatal population, posing risks to both the mother and fetus. Complications associated with preeclampsia include stroke, seizure, placental abruption (premature separation of the placenta from the uterus), fetal growth restriction (impaired growth due to reduced blood flow through the placenta), premature birth, and low-birth-weight infants with associated developmental issues. Because there is no cure for preeclampsia, the current management involves the timely administration of intravenous antihypertensives to reduce the risk of stroke and seizure. The gap in practice identified was the obstetrical department’s lacking a standardized protocol, compared to adopting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists–recommended antihypertensive protocol, which directs treatment to be given within 60 minutes of identified severe-range blood pressure. This scholarly project aimed to determine if the implementation of a standardized antihypertensive protocol would decrease treatment response times. This was a quality improvement project using a quantitative methodology with a structured approach that allowed the systematic collection and analysis of numerical data. To determine if there was a significant decrease in response times, an independent-samples t test was conducted. Analysis of the findings suggested sufficient evidence to support a statistically significant difference in administration times pre- and postintervention, indicating a positive impact on patient outcomes. The results of the two-tailed independent� samples t test were significant based on an alpha value of .05, t(58.57) = 4.25, p < .001. Findings suggest the mean of treatment response times significantly decreased between preintervention and postintervention. Keywords: Preeclampsia, ACOG antihypertensive protocol, gestational hypertension