Accuracy of the nursing diagnosis of ineffective airway clearance in intensive care unit patients

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the accuracy of the clinical indicators of ineffective airway clearance in adult intensive care unit patients. METHODS: diagnostic accuracy study, performed in the intensive care unit of a university hospital in northeastern Brazil. The sample consisted of 104 patients hospitalized between June and October 2019. RESULTS: the prevalence of ineffective airway clearance was 36.54%. The indicators with high specificity included absence of cough (0.8326), orthopnea (0.6817), adventitious breath sounds (0.8175), and diminished breath sounds (0.8326). The clinical indicators with high sensitivity and specificity were alteration in respiratory rate (0.9999) and alteration in respiratory pattern (0.9999). CONCLUSIONS: six clinical indicators provided an accurate identification of ineffective airway clearance. The clinical indicators alteration in respiratory rate and alteration in respiratory pattern were the most accurate for critical adult patients. The findings of this study contribute to accurate diagnostic inferences and to prevention of respiratory complications in these patients.