Effectiveness of the Practice of Standardized Handover Process Using a Checklist in the Postanesthesia Care Unit: An Observational Study.

Abstract

Context: Patient handovers without any structured checklist may omit essential information that might have undesirable consequences for patients.

Aim: We sought to determine the effectiveness of a structured postanesthesia care handover (PACH) checklist in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) to reduce adverse clinical outcomes.

Setting and design: A single-center, prospective, pre-postimplementation study was conducted.

Materials and methods: Moreover, post-PACH checklist implementation data were collected from 130 participants ( n = 65 in each group) by an independent observer. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS (25.0) version (IBM SPSS statistics). The Chi-square test was used to compare the dichotomous response.

Results: A statistically significant reduction in hypoxemia (21.5% vs. 0; P < 0.001) was observed in the postimplementation group. There were significant improvements in patient information ( P < 0.01), reduction in variations in hemodynamic parameters ( P < 0.01), and improvement in the quality of information transferred concerning surgical procedures ( P < 0.01). The number of phone calls to consultants was significantly lower in the PACH group.

Conclusion: Implementation of the PACH checklist was associated with no hypoxemic events in PACU by improving the quality of communication. The implementation of a structured checklist in PACU should be mandatory in the postoperative intensive care unit.