Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this project was to design, develop, implement, and manage a sustainable process for pediatric preoperative COVD-19 testing and use the test results to determine the level of personal protective equipment and infection control required for each patient for optimal surgical scheduling and preservation of resources. Design: This quality improvement project used the Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology. Multiple cycles of re-evaluation refined this process which was standardized across the enterprise. Methods: A process for preoperative testing for all patients undergoing procedures requiring anesthesia was developed and implemented. Findings: A safe, feasible, timely process was developed and piloted to obtain COVID-19 test results to guide individualized interventions. During the pilot, 1,707 patients were screened, and five tested positive for COVID-19, eliminating the need to manage 1702 patients as COVID-19 positive. Conclusion: To continue to safely re-open, knowledge of the patient's COVID-19 status is imperative to ensure a safe journey through the perioperative area.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 367-371 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- coronavirus
- pediatric
- peri-procedure
- perioperative
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medical–Surgical