Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
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Effective treatment of perioperative acute pain requires that information about the patient's goals for pain relief, previous history with analgesics, and type of surgical procedure is used to guide decisions about analgesic regimens. Analgesics are selected based on the location of surgery, degree of anticipated pain, and patient characteristics such as comorbidities, and routes of administration and dosing schedules are determined to maximize the effectiveness and safety of analgesia, while minimizing the potential for adverse events. ⋯ To accomplish this, nurses must have a thorough understanding of the pharmacology of analgesics. This article provides useful information for commonly used analgesics, primarily nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, and local anesthetics for control of acute postoperative pain.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Feb 2008
Family-centered care in the pediatric post anesthesia care unit: changing practice to promote parental visitation.
Although parental visitation in the PACU is the standard of care in a few institutions, it is surprisingly not a standard of care at most. Parental presence in the PACU at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) was historically inconsistent and limited. ⋯ Through education, multidisciplinary collaboration, ongoing support, and dissemination of data, parental visitation in the PACU increased from 44% in January 2004 to 90% in January 2007. This report addresses parental visitation in the PACU, as well as quality improvement strategies to promote this valuable family-centered practice.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Feb 2008
Comparative StudyComparison of temperature measurement devices in post anesthesia patients.
A descriptive correlational study was used to evaluate the correlation/agreement of oral and axillary temperature measurements to patient core temperatures obtained in the OR. Data collectors recorded oral or axillary patient temperature from 752 patients on admission and discharge from the PACU. Results indicated that there was a moderate correlation between each of the current devices and core temperature, but no agreement between core temperature and either device. Recommendations were made to use just one device throughout the organization, or to use the device used on admission throughout the hospitalization.