Perioperative hypothermia prevention: development of simple principles and practice recommendations using a...

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Clinical Guidelines Development

Background:

• Perioperative hypothermia is a common complication during surgical procedures.
• Effective prevention strategies are crucial for patient outcomes.
• A need exists for Australian-specific, evidence-based guidance on hypothermia prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a consensus on evidence-based principles and recommendations for perioperative hypothermia prevention tailored to the Australian healthcare setting.
• To provide clear, actionable guidance for clinicians involved in perioperative care.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the ADAPTE process, informed by CAN-IMPLEMENT, for guideline development.
• Conducted a systematic literature search to identify existing guidelines on perioperative hypothermia prevention.
• Appraised guidelines using AGREE II and extracted recommendations with AGREE-REX, followed by multidisciplinary clinician feedback and iterative refinement.

Main Results:

• Synthesized evidence from 23 sources, including guidelines and evidence summaries.
• Developed three core principles for perioperative hypothermia prevention: active temperature monitoring, active warming to >36°C, and minimizing cold exposure.
• Incorporated feedback from 219 perioperative clinicians to refine recommendations.

Conclusions:

• A consensus has been reached on practical, evidence-based principles and recommendations for perioperative hypothermia prevention in Australia.
• These principles are ready for local adaptation and implementation in Australian hospitals.
• A large-scale implementation trial is planned to evaluate the effectiveness of these recommendations.