Transport to PACU

[elcue]

Hi all. Looking to see what others do in their practice.

Do you accompany the anesthesiologist to transport your patient to PACU? I have always done it this way (21 years) and given a nursing report on arrival.

Now, in the interest of speeding turnovers, they have decided the circulator will call PACU 5-10 mins before the patient is ready to leave the OR. NOT to give report, but to alert them we are almost ready to leave OR. A transporter (not a nurse) will come to the OR and accompany the patient and anesthesiologist to PACU. The nurse will stay behind to help turn over the room.

Some of us are uneasy about this for safety reasons. And some just ticked off that they are prioritizing our housekeeping duties above our patient care role.

Feedback?? Thanks. Linda

[roxy48]

Hi all,

Like heartICU, I'm afraid I am in the minority in my opinion on this topic. I have been working in PACU ( in several facilities ) for over 10 years, and I feel that the report by the anesthesiologist or CRNA is very adequate for what I need to take care of the patient. Between setting up the pt, equipment, monitors, and keeping ahead of their pain etc, I can usually get what I need from my own assessment of the pt and OR periop record ( for drains, local given etc). In fact, I have worked in 4 university hospitals and in only one did the OR nurse give a report. Our anesthesiologists, residents, or CRNA's generally give a good report and the preop nurse communicates the pts family and preop status to the PACU staff.

[penguin2]

Where I work we get report from the anesthesia provider & the circulator- both transport the patient. I have worked in places where the circulator called report to the PACU & did not transport, which works fine. When we call report to the floors we don't always transport. Getting report from the MDA & just reading what the circulator writes only works if there is good documentation IMO.

[sharann, BSN, RN]

Ok, so what do you do when anesthesia thinks that giving report means "healthy patient no allergies" and the OR nurse thinks that aneshtesia already gave us report? I am not kidding when I say this. Most of the time the OR nurse goes to the desk to finish paperwork and the anesthesia provider either waits for the PACU nurse to hook up everything and give the numbers. I am lucky if I have an anesthesilogist WAIT in the PACU long enough to get the vitals. Many of them simply leave as soon as the gurney stops moving. I have to drag out report by asking what prodecure, allergies, history, drains, etc... and it really pisses me off. This is not a great handoff.

[Charity, RN, APRN]

Ok, so what do you do when anesthesia thinks that giving report means "healthy patient no allergies" ...I am lucky if I have an anesthesilogist WAIT in the PACU long enough to get the vitals. Many of them simply leave as soon as the gurney stops moving.

They get paged back to the bedside, overhead in the OR if need be, and are reminded that I did not get report and that I have not accepted care of the patient yet.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Ok, so what do you do when anesthesia thinks that giving report means "healthy patient no allergies" and the OR nurse thinks that aneshtesia already gave us report?

We only had this happen once, when we got a new MDA who didn't know how we did things, and the PACU nurse called our room and said "Dr. X needs to tell me a few things about this pt. so i have something to go by" The MDA said "Oh, shoot, sorry, i forgot, i need to get used to this." Since then he has.

[Mayotski]

In our set-up, the anesthesia resident accompanies the patient to the PACU together w/ the circulating nurse and the transporter. It's the circu nurse who does the endoresement but sometimes the special endoresments are being done by the anesthesiologists.

[gentle_ben_RN, ASN]

Where I work the anesthesiologist/CRNA and the RN transport the pt to me in the PACU after the RN has called out from the room when the surgeon is closing or pt being extubated. I like receiving a report from the RN because he/she can quickly relay info about drains, dressings, allergies, local used, and where the family is. The CRNA's report usually details drugs given, antibiotics, I&O, and pertinent history. Usually they both start firing off report at the same time and I end up just looking it up on the OR record;)

[Hopecascade]

Our patients are transported into the PACU with the CRNA or "Ologist" with a surgical tech. Usually the surgical resident comes into the PACU with the patient too. The RN's do a computer generated report and that comes in with the patient. I get no bedside verbal report from the RN. I never see the circulator unless she arrives later with the computer generated report. I can read about their drsgs, drains, foleys, from the report. Also the CRNA will answer any questions I have. It seems to work well. The OR calls ahead and knows what slot to come to in the PACU. I was used to a bedside report from the Circulator when I worked at a smaller hopsital. It seems strange to never see the RN but that is how it works at this large teaching Level I trauma hospital I work at now.