Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
DNP
College
School of Nursing
Department
Not Listed
Committee Chair
Mike Frame
Committee Co-Chair
Shellie Popeck
Abstract
Abstract
Effective communication between healthcare providers is an essential element in the delivery of safe patient care. Loss of relevant information can occur during all phases of patient care but is most inclined to occur during the handoff from the operating room to the postoperative anesthesia care unit (PACU). Evidence has indicated that the transfer of patients by anesthesia providers remains informal and brief despite practice guidelines. When pertinent details are omitted during the anesthesia handoff there is a potential increase for medical errors, delayed treatment, and patient harm. The purpose of this project was to analyze the use of a standardized handoff tool in the postoperative setting to improve anesthesia handoff accuracy and completeness at a community hospital. Results showed that the use of a standardized handoff tool improved the adequacy and completeness of the anesthesia report and improved staff satisfaction. However, a with small sample was utilized indicating potential weak internal validity of results. Therefore, further research is needed to foster a better understanding of handoff accuracy of the anesthesia care provider.
Recommended Citation
Durkacz, Haley, "Standardized Postoperative Handoff Tool to Improve Handoff Quality" (2022). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 11628.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/11628
