By comparison, the following exchange would have complied with the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal on hand-off communication. The circulating nurse and anesthesia care provider could have used the SBAR communication technique and cooperatively reported the following information to the assigned PACU nurse: • Situation—This is Mrs L, date of birth 9/21/42, a 66-year-old patient of Dr H. She just underwent an abdominal hysterectomy.
• Background—Mrs L has experienced postmenopausal bleeding for the past three months. Mrs L has no known allergies, but she has a medical history of atrial fibrillation that is controlled with diltiazem and warfarin. Mrs L also has COPD that is well controlled with an ipratropium/albuterol inhaler. Mrs L received general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation and has received 3,000 mL IV LR solution during surgery. This is her fourth bag of LR. Mrs L had