A Quality Improvement Project for Monitoring Surgical Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Patients who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at a higher risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression postoperatively. Many patients who have OSA are not given a diagnosis before undergoing surgery and may not be monitored appropriately afterward.

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase the number of preoperative patients screened for OSA and improve their postoperative monitoring through a novel OSA protocol order set through the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Screening for OSA risk is performed preoperatively using the STOP-Bang instrument. High-risk patients, as well as patients with existing OSA, are monitored postoperatively using a bundle of evidence practices to identify early respiratory compromise. If respiratory events occur, a treatment intervention will be triggered.

Postintervention chart reviews demonstrated 100% of the qualifying patients had OSA screening completed before surgery. The OSA protocol was ordered in 28 of the 100 charts reviewed. Patient harm may have been avoided through the implementation of the protocol's standing order for continuous positive airway pressure, which was triggered by respiratory events.

It is important to identify these high-risk patients before surgery through preoperative screening. These patients should be monitored closely postoperatively to identify early respiratory compromise.