Improving Identification of Pediatric Emergence Delirium in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Opportunity.

Objective: This article offers a recommendation on how the Pediatric Assessment Emergence Delirium Scale (PAEDS) could be implemented in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) to improve the assessment and treatment of pediatric emergence delirium (PED).

Background: PED is an anticipated complication in the PACU characterized by mental confusion, irritability, disorientation, inconsolable crying, and prolonged postanesthetic recovery time. Although it is a short-lived phenomenon, it increases the risk for traumatic injuries and may lead to a decrease in overall parent satisfaction with their child's surgical experience.

Integrating the STOP-Bang Questionnaire Into the Preanesthetic Assessment at a Military Hospital.

Purpose: This quality improvement project integrated the STOP-Bang (Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index, Age, Neck circumference, male Gender) questionnaire into the preanesthetic assessment to identify patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), decrease postanesthesia care unit (PACU) length of stay (LOS), and decrease unanticipated admissions.

Design: This is an observational pre/post design and retrospective chart review.

Methods: Registered nurses assessed STOP-Bang scores among patients seen in the preanesthesia clinic and documented scores in the electronic health record.