Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

The Development And Implementation Of Evidence-Based Preanesthesia Assessment Tools For Lvad Patients Undergoing Non-Cardiac Procedures, Tracey Rooney, Casey Weimer, Eileen Giardino, Kerry Shanklin, Pete Pelletier, Audrey Rosenblatt

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Abstract

A university-affiliated tertiary medical center with a newly developed Advanced Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support program identified the need to implement a more systematic approach to the preanesthesia assessment process for patients with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) undergoing noncardiac procedures and standardized guidelines to determine the best blood pressure monitoring system for patients with an LVAD during these noncardiac procedures. A multidisciplinary panel of clinical experts developed an LVAD Preanesthesia Toolkit using standard recommendations identified via evidence-based literature and expert opinion. The Toolkit included an LVAD Preanesthesia Assessment (VaPA) tool and an LVAD Blood Pressure Monitoring …

Improving Nurse Anesthetist Intraoperative Handoff Process By Developing And Implementing An Evidence-Based, Facility-Specific Cognitive Aid, Jason Silva, Myron Arnaud

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Miscommunication or non-transfer of pertinent patient information during intraoperative handoffs between anesthesia providers creates patient safety risks. An evidence-based facility-specific cognitive aid was developed and introduced to nurse anesthetists in an anesthesiology department of a large academic hospital with the aim of improving the intraoperative patient handoff process. The program used a handoff cognitive aid that addressed five pertinent patient information points. A secondary measure was evaluation of provider satisfaction. Twenty-four nurse anesthetists utilized the handoff cognitive aid during handoffs in the course of a 4-week pilot program. Eighty-eight nurse anesthetist handoffs were observed (23 with and 65 without the …