Claude Project: Your Department Protocol Knowledge Base

What This Builds

You'll create a Claude Project — a persistent AI workspace pre-loaded with your department's actual clinical protocols, AARC guidelines, and ventilator management references. Every conversation in the Project starts with this knowledge already in context. Instead of Claude giving you generic medical answers, it gives you answers grounded in your specific institution's protocols and the exact guidelines your department follows.

Prerequisites

• Claude Pro subscription ({{tool:Claude.price}}/month) — Projects require Claude {{tool:Claude.plan}}
• Comfortable using Claude for clinical questions (see Level 3 guideline research guide)
• 3–5 protocol documents from your department (PDFs, Word docs, or text) — your director can provide these
• AARC guidelines relevant to your unit (downloadable free from aarc.org)

The Concept

A Claude Project is like having a senior colleague who has read all your department's protocols and can answer "what does our protocol say about X?" instead of just "what do guidelines generally say about X?" You load documents into the Project once, and every conversation in that Project references them automatically.

For example, if your ICU uses a specific PEEP table for ARDS patients that differs from the standard ARDSNet tables, Claude will reference your version — not the generic one. If your department has a specific SBT algorithm, Claude explains it in the context of how your team actually practices.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Gather Your Documents

Collect these documents in digital format (PDF, Word, or plain text):

• Your department's ventilator weaning protocol
• Your HFNC or NIV protocol
• VAP prevention bundle checklist
• Any unit-specific order sets or therapy protocols
• AARC Clinical Practice Guidelines (download from aarc.org — the liberation from mechanical ventilation guideline is essential)
• The ARDS Network ventilator management protocol (ardsnet.org — free PDF)

If your protocols are on paper, photograph each page clearly and convert to PDF, or type the key decision points into a text file.

Part 2: Create the Claude Project

1. Go to claude.ai and log in to your Pro account
2. In the left sidebar, look for Projects — click the + icon or New Project
3. Name your project: RT Department Reference
4. Click the project to open it

What you should see: A project workspace with a conversation area and a knowledge panel (usually accessible via a book/document icon on the right or a panel labeled "Project Knowledge").

Part 3: Upload Your Documents

1. In the project workspace, click Add content or the document upload icon in the Knowledge section
2. Upload each document — Claude will process and index them
3. After uploading, send a test message: "What documents are loaded in this project?"
4. Claude should list your uploaded documents — confirm they're all there

Part 4: Write the Project System Prompt

In the Project settings (gear icon or "Project instructions"), add these instructions:

You are a clinical reference assistant for respiratory therapists at [Your Hospital Name] [Unit name if specific — e.g., "adult medical ICU"].

You have access to the department's protocols uploaded to this project. When answering questions about clinical procedures, always reference the relevant uploaded protocol if one exists. If the question is about something not covered by uploaded protocols, use AARC clinical practice guidelines as the primary reference.

When answering:
- Lead with the practical, protocol-specific answer
- Cite which document your answer comes from (e.g., "Per the HFNC protocol uploaded to this project...")
- If the uploaded protocol differs from published guidelines, note the difference
- Use clinical language appropriate for an experienced RT
- Format reference answers as numbered steps or bulleted clinical criteria, not paragraphs

Never provide direct patient care orders. This is a reference and documentation support tool.

Part 5: Test with Real Clinical Questions

Try these test queries to verify the project is working correctly:

"What are our protocol criteria for starting an SBT?" (should reference your uploaded weaning protocol)

"What FiO2/PEEP combinations does our protocol recommend for ARDS?" (should reference your specific table if uploaded)

"What is the ROX index threshold for HFNC failure?" (should reference AARC guideline or your HFNC protocol)

Compare the answers to your actual protocol documents — if Claude's answer diverges, adjust your instructions or re-upload a clearer document.

Real Example: ARDS Protocol Reference During Rounds

Setup: You've uploaded your ICU's lung-protective ventilation protocol (which uses a modified PEEP table) and the AARC ventilator liberation guideline.

Input: "Patient day 4 of ARDS, currently FiO2 0.40, PEEP 10, P/F ratio 215. Per our protocol, is this patient a candidate to start weaning PEEP or FiO2?"

Output: Claude references your uploaded protocol's specific P/F ratio threshold for PEEP weaning (which might differ from the standard ARDSNet table your hospital adapted), then walks through the assessment criteria: "Per the ICU lung-protective ventilation protocol uploaded to this project, PEEP weaning can begin when P/F ratio exceeds 200 on stable settings for 4+ hours AND plateau pressure remains below 30 cmH2O. Your patient's P/F of 215 meets the ratio criterion. Next, verify: what was the last plateau pressure measurement? If ≤30, the protocol supports initiating PEEP wean by reducing to PEEP 8 and reassessing in 2 hours."

Why this is better than generic ChatGPT: The answer is grounded in your institution's actual protocol thresholds, not the textbook recommendation that may differ from how your team practices.

Time saved: 5 minutes digging out the paper protocol binder during rounds → 20-second query.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Claude doesn't reference uploaded documents → Start your query with "Based on the protocols uploaded to this project..." to explicitly trigger document retrieval
• Protocol was updated but Claude references old version → Delete the old document from Project Knowledge and upload the new one; Claude will default to the newer version
• Claude answers with generic guidelines instead of your protocol → Your protocol may not cover that specific question; ask Claude to note when it's using a general guideline vs. your uploaded document
• Project loses context between sessions → Projects maintain knowledge across sessions automatically; if context seems lost, check that the document is still uploaded in Project Knowledge

Variations

• Simpler version: Use the free Claude tier and paste your protocol text directly into each conversation as context — same principle, more manual effort, no document persistence
• Extended version: Build a shared team project (Claude Pro supports project sharing) — your charge RT team can all access the same protocol reference without each building their own

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the project, upload 2 documents, run 10 test queries against your actual protocols
• This month: Add all your major protocols and share with your charge RT team
• Advanced: Add a section for your department's most common clinical controversies with links to the supporting evidence — make the Project a living clinical reference

Advanced guide for respiratory therapist professionals. Claude Projects require a Claude Pro subscription ({{tool:Claude.price}}/month).