Use of a Checklist for the Postanesthesia Care Unit Patient Handoff

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate the benefits of implementing a checklist in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) setting to decrease the omission of health information during the handoff from anesthesia to PACU nurses. Design: Patient handoffs from anesthesia providers were anonymously assessed by PACU nurses before and after the implementation of a handoff checklist with the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation format. Methods: PACU nurses recorded use of the handoff checklist and if five items of health information were included in the handoff during the preintervention and postintervention phase. Findings: Checklist use increased from 0% to 73% with omitted information decreasing with checklist use: procedure from 19% to 2%, allergies 23% to 4%, input and output 16% to 0%, antiemetic used 21% to 4%, and lines 19% to 11%. Completed handoffs increased from 13% to 82% whereas checklist use remained high, at over 79%, for the 12 weeks after implementation. Conclusions: The project was successful in implementing a standardized checklist and echoed the success of the articles reviewed. The use of a PACU handoff checklist can improve transfer of care by ensuring the provider receives more pertinent medical information during these transfers.