Patient Readiness for Surgery: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Surgical Operations

Background:

• Adherence to surgical safety checklists is crucial for preventing sentinel events and ensuring adequate preoperative patient readiness.
• Non-adherence can lead to inadequate preparation and adverse patient outcomes.
• Addressing preoperative concerns is vital for optimizing surgical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve preoperative patient readiness by addressing concerns related to surgical safety checklist adherence.
• To implement an evidence-based practice model and change theory to modify perioperative practices.
• To enhance the completion rates of critical preoperative checklist elements.

Main Methods:

• An educational initiative was delivered to perioperative personnel regarding the surgical safety checklist.
• Data were collected on key preoperative elements: consent completion, laboratory test results, antibiotic availability, and checklist completion.
• A quality improvement project utilized an evidence-based practice model and Kurt Lewin's change theory.

Main Results:

• Consent completion remained at 100% post-intervention.
• Significant improvements were observed in laboratory test results, antibiotic availability, and overall checklist completion rates.
• Statistical analysis (chi-square) confirmed the significance of the improvements, particularly for laboratory test results (χ 2 = 33.496, P < .00001).

Conclusions:

• The educational initiative effectively improved adherence to critical preoperative elements of the surgical safety checklist.
• Enhancing checklist adherence positively impacts patient readiness and potentially reduces negative surgical outcomes.
• The project demonstrates a successful quality improvement strategy in a military hospital setting.