Respiratory Management Education for the Post Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse
Background: Post anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses provide patient care during the vulnerable postoperative period when patients are at greatest risk of experiencing respiratory management issues and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). In rural facilities such as Canyon Vista Medical Center (CVMC) in Sierra Vista, Arizona, limited staff and resource shortages can lead to suboptimal patient care conditions in the PACU setting. To compound the issue, PACU nurses in rural facilities rely on facility training and have little guidance on important patient care issues such as post anesthesia respiratory management. Quality improvement initiatives aimed at resolving knowledge deficits in settings such as these can improve both quality and patient safety via a more competent and educated PACU nursing staff. Purpose: To address an educational need among the CVMC PACU nursing staff with the implementation of a post anesthesia respiratory management educational intervention. Methods: A quasi-experimental one group pretest-posttest design using a targeted intervention based upon the knowledge to action (KTA) framework. The PACU setting was used to conduct the intervention with the nurse participants (N = 9). Descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to determine intervention efficacy. Intervention: One 75-minute educational intervention divided into three consecutive phases. Results: A significant improvement in the nurses’ knowledge (p < .05) and perception of understanding of PACU respiratory management following the intervention (p < .05).
nurse education, pacu, post anesthesia care unit, quality improvement, respiratory management
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