Introducing change to the post-anaesthetic care unit

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesia
• Postoperative Care
• Patient and Family Centered Care

Background:

• Parental presence in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is under-reported and under-researched.
• Limited data exists on the benefits and challenges of parental involvement during immediate postoperative recovery.
• Understanding parental roles in PACU is crucial for optimizing pediatric surgical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the importance and value of parents being present with their child in the PACU.
• To report audit findings from a practice development project promoting parental presence in the PACU.
• To provide evidence supporting the integration of parents into immediate postoperative care.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a practice development project to facilitate parental presence in the PACU.
• Audit of care processes and outcomes following the project.
• Data collection on parental experiences and child recovery metrics.

Main Results:

• The practice development project successfully encouraged parental presence in the PACU.
• Audit findings indicate positive impacts of parental presence on the postoperative care experience.
• Preliminary data suggests benefits for both children and parents when parents are present.

Conclusions:

• Parental presence in the PACU is a valuable component of pediatric postoperative care.
• Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the benefits and optimal implementation strategies.
• Integrating parents into the PACU setting aligns with patient and family-centered care principles.