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Determining the Effective Length of Stay for Post-operative Patients in the PACU through the Location of Influencing Factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2009

Y. Kol ,
A. Filhaver ,
S. Shitrit  and
L. Rubin
Y. Kol*
Affiliation:
Chief Nurse Executive, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel
A. Filhaver
Affiliation:
PACU Charge Nurse, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel
S. Shitrit
Affiliation:
Manager of Nursing, Surgical Division, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel
L. Rubin
Affiliation:
PACU Deputy Charge Nurse, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel
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Abstract

Objectives:

(1) Estimating actual post-anaesthesia care units (PACU) length of stay (LOS) for patients after general and regional anaesthesia. (2) Estimating appropriate PACU LOS for patients after general and regional anaesthesia. (3) Measuring the gap between actual and appropriate PACU LOS and identifying the main factors affecting LOS.

Background:

The patient’s post-operative clinical condition, type of anaesthetic and type of surgery dictate post-operative care and monitoring requirements. There is no consensus in the literature regarding the ‘Gold Standard’ for discharging patients from PACU. Some studies focus on PACU LOS as a secondary outcome when comparing different anaesthetic methods and locating factors delaying patient discharge.

Methodology:

This was a prospective study with 580 patients, mainly undergoing planned surgery. The data was gathered from patient records, maintaining anonymity for six months.

Results:

Required LOS following regional anaesthesia was longer than following general anaesthesia. The gap between actual and appropriate LOS was 0.17 hours. The main reason for delay was waiting for transport assistance.

Keywords

Length of stayPACU LOSPACU actual LOSPACU appropriate LOS
Type
Original Article
Information
British Journal of Anaesthetic & Recovery Nursing , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , August 2009 , pp. 51 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © British Association of Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing 2009

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