Surgical innovation
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Surgical innovation · Dec 2006
The effect of direct-from-recovery room discharge of laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients on recovery room workload.
Ambulatory laparoscopic cholecystectomy pathways move patients through the hospital without encountering delays caused by congested inpatient bed units. However, redirecting patients to a direct discharge pathway might not be beneficial if recovery capacity is further taxed by additional workload. In this study, we attempt to assess the operational impact on recovery room workload of directly discharging laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients to home. ⋯ The times (mean; 95% confidence interval) to meet objective criteria for adequate pain control (3.5 minutes [2.1 to 5.9] versus 4.0 minutes [2.6 to 6.1]) and readiness for discharge from phase 1 recovery (8.1 minutes [4.8 to 13.6] versus 6.1 minutes [4.0 to 9.5]) were not different between the groups. The number and distribution of interventions documented in the recovery process were not different between groups, nor was there a difference in recovery room length of stay (158 minutes [138 to 182] versus 149 minutes [132 to 167]). In our study, recovery room records reveal little if any increased workload associated with the direct-to-home discharge of laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients.