addressed by the standardized handoff form. In response to the first question, the anesthesia department felt the form was thorough and covered all pertinent information. The PACU department provided some more specific suggestions. Neurological status of patients before sedation and whether the case was a monitored anesthesia care case or a general anesthetic were two pertinent pieces of information that could be added to the form. The PACU staff commented that the clarity of handoff depends on the CRNA or the anesthesiologist bringing the patient to the recovery room.
The second question on the survey that elicited qualitative statements asked about other communication barriers that occur during postoperative handoffs that could impact satisfaction with communication. The major theme discussed by the anesthesia department is that PACU nurses are too preoccupied with the computer charting to listen to the handoff report or hook up the patients to the monitors in a timely fashion. The PACU department, on the other hand, expressed that CRNAs were in too much of a hurry to move on to the next task and CRNAs would often give report before the patient was hooked up to the monitors. Lack of time seemed to be the biggest barrier during the handoff period. The biggest variable affecting the process, also, is personnel. There are variations in the quality of communication during the handoff report between individuals. Some PACU nursed don’t write all the information down on the handoff form.
Conclusions:
This survey confirmed that the majority of the staff in the anesthesia and PACU departments are satisfied with postoperative handoff communication .Perceptions in both departments, as evidenced by the positive responses to satisfaction questions indicate that the use of a standardized handoff form has decreased the perception of communication errors and