SNHP | Nurse Anesthesia DNP Project Presentations
Improving Patient Safety: Educating Postoperative Nurses on Minute Ventilation Monitoring
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Graduate
Major
Doctor of Nursing Practice, Nurse Anesthesia
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Dina Byers, PhD, APRN, ACNS-BC
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Abstract
Respiratory depression occurs commonly in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) patients due to recovery from the use of anesthetics and narcotics. Most hospitals use the Aldrete score to determine a patient’s eligibility for discharge from the PACU, but this score alone is insufficient for determining future respiratory compromise. This project focused on educating PACU nurses about minute ventilation (MV) and how its use provides a more precise depiction of respiratory condition and can help predict pending respiratory issues.
The project was conducted at an urban hospital in Georgia and used volunteer PACU nurses as its subject population. A test was given to the nurses asking questions about minute ventilation and oxygenation. Following the pre-test, a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation focused on understanding oxygenation and the importance of MV monitoring for PACU patients was given to the nurses. Following the presentation, the same test was given to reevaluate knowledge of the project’s topics. Comparison of the pre- and post-presentation tests show that even 10 minutes of education regarding oxygenation and minute ventilation improve a nurse’s understanding of those concepts by 11.25% both individually and as a group.
Monitoring minute ventilation provides a more precise measurement of a PACU patient’s oxygenation, aids in guiding post-operative treatment and opioid use, and can predict pending respiratory distress. Educating PACU professionals on monitoring MV will help make better informed decisions for patients’ post-operative care and provide safer criteria for ultimate discharge.
Keywords: Minute ventilation, MV, MV monitoring, patient safety, respiratory depression, oxygenation, PACU, Aldrete Score, patient discharge, post-surgical patient.
Improving Patient Safety: Educating Postoperative Nurses on Minute Ventilation Monitoring
Abstract
Respiratory depression occurs commonly in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) patients due to recovery from the use of anesthetics and narcotics. Most hospitals use the Aldrete score to determine a patient’s eligibility for discharge from the PACU, but this score alone is insufficient for determining future respiratory compromise. This project focused on educating PACU nurses about minute ventilation (MV) and how its use provides a more precise depiction of respiratory condition and can help predict pending respiratory issues.
The project was conducted at an urban hospital in Georgia and used volunteer PACU nurses as its subject population. A test was given to the nurses asking questions about minute ventilation and oxygenation. Following the pre-test, a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation focused on understanding oxygenation and the importance of MV monitoring for PACU patients was given to the nurses. Following the presentation, the same test was given to reevaluate knowledge of the project’s topics. Comparison of the pre- and post-presentation tests show that even 10 minutes of education regarding oxygenation and minute ventilation improve a nurse’s understanding of those concepts by 11.25% both individually and as a group.
Monitoring minute ventilation provides a more precise measurement of a PACU patient’s oxygenation, aids in guiding post-operative treatment and opioid use, and can predict pending respiratory distress. Educating PACU professionals on monitoring MV will help make better informed decisions for patients’ post-operative care and provide safer criteria for ultimate discharge.
Keywords: Minute ventilation, MV, MV monitoring, patient safety, respiratory depression, oxygenation, PACU, Aldrete Score, patient discharge, post-surgical patient.
