LAUSR

Purpose: Guideline adherence for the management of a donor after brain death (DBD) is largely unknown. This study aimed to perform an importance‐performance analysis of prioritized key interventions (KIs) by linking guideline adherence rates to expert consensus ratings for the management of a DBD. Materials and methods: This observational, cross‐sectional multicenter study was performed in 21 Belgian ICUs. A retrospective review of patient records of adult utilized DBDs between 2013 and 2016 used 67 KIs to describe adherence to guidelines. Results: A total of 296 patients were included. Thirty‐five of 67 KIs had a high level of adherence congruent to a high expert panel rating of importance. Nineteen of 67 KIs had a low level of adherence in spite of a high level of importance according to expert consensus. However, inadequate documentation proved an important issue, hampering true guideline adherence assessment. Adherence ranged between 3 and 100% for single KI items and on average, patients received 72% of the integrated expert panel recommended care set. Conclusions: Guideline adherence to an expert panel predefined care set in DBD donor management proved moderate leaving substantial room for improvement. An importance‐performance analysis can be used to improve implementation and documentation of guidelines.