Date of Scholarly Project Submission

4-2017

Degree Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

Faculty Chairperson

Dr. Katie Menard

Second Committee Member

Dr. Melissa Romero

Third Committee Member

Dr. Jane Campbell

Abstract

Accurate and essential communication is required during the transfer of patient care from one health care provider to another. Communication errors during the handoff process have been identified as contributing factors in sentinel events. There is a plethora of literature supporting a standardized transfer of care process as well as several accepted handoff communication tools for the various units within a healthcare institution. However, in the anesthesia domain, there is currently only one protocol specifically created for the transfer of patient care between certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). The PATIENT protocol, created by Dr. Suzanne M. Wright, CRNA, PhD (2013) provides a systematic approach in reporting accurate patient information during the transfer of care process. The purpose of this exploratory replication scholarly project was to determine if CRNAs believed the established PATIENT transfer of care protocol enhances communication between CRNAs during the anesthesia handoff process. Descriptive statistics and correlation methods were utilized and analysis of the data suggest the majority of CRNA participants liked the idea of a standardized TOC tool and agreed the PATIENT protocol provided an effective way to organize patient information. The PATIENT protocol is a tool that could be implemented during all anesthesia transfer of care periods promoting safe anesthesia practice leading to positive patient outcomes.

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