Postoperative Recovery in the Youngest: Beyond Technology.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Critical Care Nursing
• Patient Monitoring

Background:

• Vital sign monitoring in pediatric patients (≤36 months) post-anesthesia is complex.
• Nurses face challenges balancing patient safety with individualized monitoring in post-anesthesia care units (PACUs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore critical care nurses' and nurse anesthetists' perceptions of vital sign monitoring decisions for pediatric patients in PACUs.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using the critical incident technique.
• Interviews conducted with 17 critical care nurses and registered nurse anesthetists from two hospitals.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported both adequate and inadequate rationales for vital sign monitoring decisions.
• Actions were taken to adjust monitoring, optimize assessments, and ensure safe pediatric recovery.

Conclusions:

• Adhering to guidelines for pediatric vital sign monitoring in PACUs is difficult due to complexity.
• Technological limitations and lack of pediatric adaptation compromise evidence-based care, increasing reliance on clinical experience and risk.