In an article recently published in the Society of Anesthesia & Sleep Medicine newsletter (page 4), Michael Wong, JD and Lynn Razzano, RN, MSN, ONCC discuss identifying risk of respiratory compromise for patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia (PCA).
As noted by SASM’s editor (page 2), Satya Krishna Ramachandran, MD, FRCA (Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology and Director of Perioperative Quality Improvement, University of Michigan):
This newsletter contains articles that span preoperative screening, implementation of a screening tool in the electronic health record and the development of a PCA safety checklist. Michael Wong and Lynn Razzano present the findings of their 2013 survey of 40 hospitals regarding PCA safety and propose the development of a PCA safety checklist. They identify significant safety gaps in knowledge, screening, ongoing assessment and monitoring of patients on PCA. Such work is crucial to our refinement of monitoring standards and lays the platform for future observational research.
To read a full copy of the article, please click on this link: http://sasmhq.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SASM_Newsletter_01_2014.pdf