The Scheduling Mode of Anesthesia Nurses Affects Postanesthesia Care Unit Efficiency: A Single-Center Retrospective Study From China

Abstract

PurposeAnesthesia nurses play an important post-surgical role during anesthesia recovery period, which is characterized by a high incidence of complications related to anesthesia and surgery. Strengthening staff allocation and skill management in LOS (PACU) is therefore particularly important. We aim to investigate the effect of two schedule modes for anesthesia nurses on PACU efficiency. DesignA retrospective observational cohort study. MethodWe conducted a retrospective study in a large tertiary academic medical center. In 2018, the PACU operated with traditional scheduling and the nurse-to-patient ratio was 1.2:1. The PACU implemented intensive scheduling and this ratio was adjusted to 1:1 in 2019 by adjusting the anesthesia nurse allocation scheme. We compared the number of admitted patients, length of PACU stay, the incidence of anesthesia-related complications, and nurse satisfaction with the two modes. FindingsThe total number of admitted patients was 10,531 in 2018 and 10,914 in 2019. PACU admitted 401 more patients in 2019 than in 2018, even with 2 fewer nurses per day. Nevertheless, the median length of PACU stay in 2019 was statistically significantly shorter than in 2018 [29 (22–40) vs. 28 (21–39), P＜0.001], while the incidence of anesthesia-related complications including postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, hypertension, and shivering were comparable in the two years (P > 0.091). The intensive scheduling implemented in 2019 received more satisfaction from nurses than the traditional scheduling applied in 2018 (P < 0.01). ConclusionThe scheduling of anesthesia nurses affects PACU efficiency. The intensive scheduling mode implemented in 2019 resulted in a comparable number of admitted patients, a better quality of care, and higher nurse satisfaction than those under the traditional scheduling mode.