According to an Anesthesia Business Consultants blog post, communication errors between healthcare providers during handoffs in the post-anesthesia care unit can easily occur and an increase in the amount of key information is one way to mitigate the problem. Checklists help convey that key information to all involved in patient care.
The ASA Newsletter for May 2014 included a sample checklist for anesthesia departments. The checklist incorporates the mnemonic “PUTS PATIENT FIRST.”
Patient
Underlying dx/procedure
Technique-anesthetic
Status of procedure
Past significant medical hx
Allergies
Timing/expected duration
Immediate expected events next 30 min
Emergence plan
Noteworthy aspects of case
Treatment plan for post-op care
Fluids/EBL
Induction events
Records available for review
Signs-vitals
Transfer care to
The Physician Quality Reporting System also reflects a consensus surrounding the benefits of using checklists. Providers can use two PQRS measures to indicate the use of checklists during post-anesthetic transfer of care. Additionally, a checklist measure is available to anesthesiologists who report their PQRS compliance through the Anesthesia Quality Institute’s QCDR.
However, the efficacy of checklist use depends on compliance. Implementing checklists can be a challenging process, but is an essential one.
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