Standardised handover process with checklist improves quality and safety of care in the postanaesthesia care unit: the Postanaesthesia Team Handover trial

Improved recall of handover information in a simulated emergency - A randomised controlled trial

Background

Handovers during medical emergencies are challenging due to time-critical, dynamic and oftentimes unorderly and distracting situations. We evaluated the effect of distraction-reduced clinical surroundings during handover on (1) the recall of handover information, (2) the recall of information from the surroundings and (3) self-reported workload in a simulated in-hospital cardiac arrest scenario.

Methods

In a parallel group design, emergency team leaders were randomly assigned to receive a structured handover of a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) either inside the room ("inside group") right next to the ongoing CPR or in front of the room ("outside group") with no audio-visual distractions from the ongoing CPR. Based on the concept of situation awareness, the primary outcome was a handover score for the content of the handover (0-19 points) derived from the pieces of information given during handover. Furthermore, we assessed team leaders' perception of their surroundings during the scenario (0-5 points) and they rated their subjective workload using the NASA Task Load Index.

Results

The outside group (n = 30) showed significant better recall of handover information than the inside group (n = 30; mean difference = 1.86, 95% CI = 0.67 to 3.06, p = 0.003). The perception of the surroundings (n = 60; mean difference = -0.27, 95% CI = -0.85 to 0.32, p = 0.365) and the NASA Task Load Index (n = 58; mean difference = 1.1; p = 0.112) did not differ between the groups.

Conclusions

Concerning in-hospital emergencies, a structured handover in a distraction reduced environment can improve information uptake of the team leader.

Construction of a nursing assessment framework for patients in anaesthesia recovery period: A modified Delphi study

AIM

To construct a nursing assessment framework for patients in anaesthesia recovery period.

DESIGN

A three-round modified Delphi method was employed to capture the consensus of 22 panellists.

METHODS

The initial items in the nursing assessment framework for patients in anaesthesia recovery period were developed based on the mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX). A panel of 22 experts participated in this study. The panellists have more than 10 years of experience in either clinical anaesthesia, or post-anesthesia nursing, or operating room nursing, or surgical intensive nursing. Between March and April 2023, the panellists evaluated and recommended revisions to the initial framework.

RESULTS

This study resulted in the development of a nursing assessment framework for patients in anaesthesia recovery period. The initial version of the framework consisted of six dimensions with 27 items. Six items were modified after the first round of consultation. After the second round, five modifications and four deletions were made based on expert opinion. The third round resulted in a convergence of expert opinion. The framework, which consists of 24 items across five dimensions, was refined. The five dimensions are as follows: History-taking, Physical assessment, Clinical judgement, Organizational efficiency and Humanistic concern.

CONCLUSION

The nursing assessment framework for patients in anaesthesia recovery period was reached consensus between the 22 experts' opinions.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE

The assessment framework constructed in this study could be used for the process evaluation of post-anesthesia nursing. The framework may guide perianesthesia nurses in the timely and effective assessment of patients during this critical phase of care. It may be used for perianesthesia nursing education or to evaluate nurses' assessment skills.

REPORTING METHOD

The study is reported in accordance with the Guidance on Conducting and Reporting DElphi Studies (CREDES) recommendations.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Perioperative crisis resource management simulation training in anaesthesia

Simulation-based education is now recognised to be a valuable tool to impart both technical and non-technical skills to healthcare professionals of all levels. Simulation is an well accepted educational tool for cultivating teamwork skills among residents globally. Simulation-based education encompasses diverse modalities, ranging from task trainers and simulated patients to sophisticated high-fidelity patient simulators. Notably, anaesthesiologists globally were early advocates of integrating simulation into education, particularly to instruct anaesthesia residents about the intricacies of perioperative crisis resource management and collaborative interdisciplinary teamwork. Given the inherent high-risk nature of anaesthesia, where effective teamwork is pivotal to averting adverse patient outcomes, and also to improve overall outcome of the patient, simulation training becomes imperative. This narrative review delves into the contemporary landscape of simulation training in perioperative anaesthesia management, examining the pedagogical approaches, simulators, techniques and technologies employed to facilitate this training.

Structured postoperative handover protocol improves efficiency and quality of interdisciplinary communication and nursing care in surgical intensive care unit: a randomized controlled trial

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured postoperative handover protocol for postoperative transfer to the SICU. This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in a comprehensive teaching hospital in China. Patients who were transferred to the SICU after surgery were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group underwent postoperative structured handover protocol, and the control group still applied conventional oral handover. A total of 101 postoperative patients and 50 clinicians were enrolled. Although the intervention group did not shorten the handover duration (6.18 ± 1.66 vs 5.94 ± 1.91; P = 0.505), the handover integrity was significantly improved, mainly reflected in fewer information omissions (1.44 ± 0.97 vs 0.67 ± 0.62; P < 0.001), fewer additional questions raised by ICU physicians (1.06 ± 1.04 vs 0.24 ± 0.43; P < 0.001) and fewer additional handovers via phone call (16% vs 3.9%; P = 0.042). The total score of satisfaction of the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group (76.44 ± 7.32 vs 81.24 ± 6.95; P = 0.001). With respect to critical care, the incidence of stage I pressure sore within 24 h was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (20% vs 3.9%, P = 0.029). Structured postoperative handover protocol improves the efficiency and quality of interdisciplinary communication and clinical care in SICU.Trial registration This study was registered in China on January 8th, 2022 at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200055400).

Lessons from aviation safety: pilot monitoring, the sterile flight deck rule, and aviation-style computerised checklists in the operating room

Commercial aviation practices including the role of the pilot monitoring, the sterile flight deck rule, and computerised checklists have direct applicability to anaesthesia care. The pilot monitoring performs specific tasks that complement the pilot flying who is directly controlling the aircraft flight path. The anaesthesia care team, with two providers, can be organised in a manner that is analogous to the two-pilot flight deck. However, solo providers, such as solo pilots, can emulate the pilot monitoring role by reading checklists aloud, and utilise non-anaesthesia providers to fulfil some of the functions of pilot monitoring. The sterile flight deck rule states that flight crew members should not engage in any non-essential or distracting activity during critical phases of flight. The application of the sterile flight deck rule in anaesthesia practice entails deliberately minimising distractions during critical phases of anaesthesia care. Checklists are commonly used in the operating room, especially the World Health Organization surgical safety checklist. However, the use of aviation-style computerised checklists offers additional benefits. Here we discuss how these commercial aviation practices may be applied in the operating room.

Guidelines on human factors in critical situations 2023

OBJECTIVE

To provide guidelines to define the place of human factors in the management of critical situations in anaesthesia and critical care.

DESIGN

A committee of nineteen experts from the SFAR and GFHS learned societies was set up. A policy of declaration of links of interest was applied and respected throughout the guideline-producing process. Likewise, the committee did not benefit from any funding from a company marketing a health product (drug or medical device). The committee followed the GRADE® method (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) to assess the quality of the evidence on which the recommendations were based.

METHODS

We aimed to formulate recommendations according to the GRADE® methodology for four different fields: 1/ communication, 2/ organisation, 3/ working environment and 4/ training. Each question was formulated according to the PICO format (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome). The literature review and recommendations were formulated according to the GRADE® methodology.

RESULTS

The experts' synthesis work and application of the GRADE® method resulted in 21 recommendations. Since the GRADE® method could not be applied in its entirety to all the questions, the guidelines used the SFAR "Recommendations for Professional Practice" A means of secured communication (RPP) format and the recommendations were formulated as expert opinions.

CONCLUSION

Based on strong agreement between experts, we were able to produce 21 recommendations to guide human factors in critical situations.

Anaesthesia and patient safety in the socio-technical operating theatre: a narrative review spanning a century

We review the development of technology in anaesthesia over the course of the past century, from the invention of the Boyle apparatus to the modern anaesthetic workstation with artificial intelligence assistance. We define the operating theatre as a socio-technical system, being necessarily comprised of human and technological parts, the ongoing development of which has led to a reduction in mortality during anaesthesia by an order of four magnitudes over a century. The remarkable technological advances in anaesthesia have been accompanied by important paradigm shifts in the approach to patient safety, and we describe the inter-relationship between technology and the human work environment in the development of such paradigm shifts, including the systems approach and organisational resilience. A better understanding of emerging technological advances and their effects on patient safety will allow anaesthesia to continue to be a leader in both patient safety and in the design of equipment and workspaces.

Creating a culture of support for nursing surveillance

BACKGROUND

An estimated 98,000 deaths annually result from medical errors. Preventing these deaths must be a US healthcare goal. Surveillance decreases adverse events. Surveillance is essential for patient safety. Creating a unit culture that supports surveillance requires attention to its antecedents (nurse education, nurse expertise, nurse staffing, as well as organizational culture).

METHOD

The current literature on topics salient to creating a culture of nursing surveillance including its antecedents and its attributes were reviewed. The findings are summarized and presented.

DISCUSSION

Suggestions and tools enhancing a culture of safety allow the transition from one set of behaviors to another. An organizational culture that strives for excellence promotes surveillance which results in improved patient outcomes and better qualified nurses.

CONCLUSION

Unit change resulting in support for surveillance can minimize failure to rescue and promote interruption of adverse events. The patient outcomes include decreased morbidity and mortality.

Teaching and Assessment of Medical Students During Complex Multifactorial Team-Based Tasks: The "Virtual on Call" Case Study

Abstract

Although considerable efforts have been made to incorporate simulation-based learning (SBL) in undergraduate medical education, to date, most of the medical school curricula still focus on pure knowledge or individual assessment of objective structured clinical examination skills (OSCE). To this end, we designed a case study named "iG4 (integrated generation 4) virtual on-call (iVOC)". We aimed to simulate an on-call shift in a high-fidelity virtual hospital setting in order to assess delegates' team-based performance on tasks related to patient handovers (prioritisation, team allocation).

Methods

A total of 41 clinical year medical students were split into 3 cohorts, each of which included 3 groups of 4 or 5 people. The groups consisted of a structured mix of educational and cultural backgrounds of students to achieve homogeneity. Each performing group received the handover for 5 patients in the virtual hospital and had to identify and deal with the acutely unwell ones within 15 minutes. We used TEAMTM tool to assess team-based performances.

Results

The mean handover performance was 5.44/10 ± 2.24 which was the lowest across any performance marker. The overall global performance across any team was 6.64/10 ± 2.11. The first rotating team's global performance for each cycle was 6.44/10 ± 2.01, for the second 7.89/10 ± 2.09 and for the third 6.78/10 ± 1.64 (p = 0.099 between groups).

Conclusion

This is one of the first reported, high-fidelity, globally reproducible SBL settings to assess the capacity of students to work as part of a multinational team, highlighting several aspects that need to be addressed during undergraduate studies. Medical schools should consider similar efforts with the aim to incorporate assessment frameworks for individual performances of students as part of a team, which can be a stepping-stone for enhancing safety in clinical practice.

The PATH to patient safety

Communication is critical to safe patient care. In this issue of the British Journal of Anaesthesia, Jaulin and colleagues show that use of a Post-Anaesthesia Team Handover (PATH) checklist is associated with fewer hypoxaemia events in the PACU, reduced handover interruptions, and other important metrics related to improved communication. The PATH checklist provides a link within a broader chain of safety checklists and other interventions that comprise a perioperative chain of survival.