Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
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Ethical issues have historically been a significant focus in perianesthesia nursing. Issues of safety, privacy, and informed consent are never far from the consciousness of the perianesthesia nurse. As the national organization that serves as a clearing ground for issues and goals of perianesthesia nursing practice, ASPAN has begun the process of developing a code of ethics for perianesthesia nursing practice. This report is designed to provide a brief review of the important definitions and principles that are used in the discussion of ethics, review the contemporary forces that mandate and justify the development of an ethical code, and explore how such a code may function to aid and guide nursing practice.
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Rapacuronium bromide (Raplon; Organon Inc, West Orange, NJ) is a new, fast-onset, short-duration surgical muscle relaxant. While anesthesia providers are learning how to use this new relaxant, PACU nurses must become aware of the potential problems associated with rapacuronium. This article compares and contrasts the effects of succinylcholine and rapacuronium.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Aug 2000
A study in time: performance improvement to reduce excess holding time in PACU.
The early 1990s saw prolonged patient stays in the PACU at St Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, a 350-bed tertiary-care hospital. PACU discharge was delayed for various reasons: no room available, no receiving nurse, no help to transport patients, and prolonged recovery from anesthesia. These prolonged stays resulted in occasional backups in receiving patients from the OR, as well as having alert patients among arriving patients, unstable patients, and patients with nausea or pain. ⋯ It was also expensive for the patient and costly in terms of nursing care. A multiyear, intermittent study was conducted to seek and implement solutions to this problem and evaluate the results. This article details these efforts and the resulting accomplishments.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Jun 2000
The new Joint Commission Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' requirements for pain assessment and treatment: a pain in the assessment?
The new Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) requirements reflect some major revisions to several standards regarding pain assessment and management. This article contains a brief review of those changes that can be found in the 2000 Hospital Accreditation Standards in Patient Rights and Organization Ethics, Assessment of Patients, Care of Patients, Education, Continuum of Care, and Improving Organization Performance (JCAHO: CAMH Revised Pain Management Standards. Available at http://www.jcaho.org/standard/pmhap.html, pp 1-13. Accessed January 20, 2000.).
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Fast-tracking patients in the perianesthesia setting is a health care practice initiative that is rapidly increasing in popularity in hospitals and freestanding surgery centers throughout the United States and the world. ASPAN recognizes the efficacy of fast-tracking ambulatory surgery patients through the postanesthesia phase of care and currently recognizes 2 important models of fast-tracking: rapid PACU progression and bypassing Phase I PACU. This article reviews the pros and cons of these fast-tracking initiatives. Finally, ethical issues will be critically evaluated to ensure safe, quality, cost-effective care is maintained when fast-tracking this patient population.