The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Institute recognized Turk's Head Surgery Center in West Chester, Pa., with the quality improvement award for the ASC's efforts to improve patient safety.
The surgery center decided to use scopolamine patches to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients with a history of nausea and vomiting after anesthesia or patients with motion sickness. Over time, the center's leadership found there was a lack of communication and documentation for scopolamine patient use. The lack of communication posed a patient safety risk.
The ASC devised six best practices for patch use and found the preop/PACU staff members were missing around four best practices in each patient record. The leaders set the goal of 100 percent compliance in all areas, including the postoperative call documentation.
To achieve their goal, the center's leadership:
• Implemented an educational training course for nurses and anesthesiologists focused on quality improvement
• Required staff to review scopolamine patch information sheets for appropriate use, application and removal
• Made improvements in discharge nursing notes to include the documentation about discharge teaching related to the scopolamine patch
• Taught nursing staff to add a notation at the top of the postoperative call to review the information with patients and remind them how and when to remove the patch
• Included "Transdermal Scopolamine" in the pre-printed preoperative sheet as an option for anti-emetic treatment
The center achieved 100 percent compliance on five of the six best practices; the sixth had a 90 percent adherence rate.