Analysis of Influence of Clinical Nursing Pathway Construction and Implementation on Patient Outcomes in Anesthesia Recovery

Summary

This study protocol aims to compare the outcomes of patients received in the anesthesia recovery room who were managed according to a routine nursing approach versus a clinical nursing pathway approach.

Abstract

The application of the clinical nursing pathway in the anesthesia recovery room is of great significance for improving nursing quality and reducing the incidence of complications. However, the influence of the clinical nursing pathway construction scheme and implementation path on patient outcomes in the anesthesia recovery room is not clear. In this study, 200 patients in the surgical anesthesia recovery room, aged 50 to 70 years old and graded as American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System (ASA) II-III, were randomly divided into the control group (n=100) and the interventional group (n=100). The control group received routine nursing measures, while the interventional group received a structured clinical nursing pathway. The Aldrete score and the stay time in the anesthesia recovery room before and after nursing intervention were compared between the two groups. VAS score at transfer out of the anesthesia room, postoperative patient compliance rates, nursing satisfaction, and complication rates were recorded. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in Aldrete scores between the interventional group and the control group (p = 0.939). After the intervention, the Aldrete score and nursing satisfaction of patients in the interventional group were significantly higher than those in the control group despite comparable compliance rates. Moreover, the stay time in the anesthesia recovery room, pain VAS score at the time of transfer out of the anesthesia room, and the complications rates were found to be lower in the interventional group. The construction of a clinical nursing pathway in an anesthesia recovery room can improve the recovery and pain of patients, shorten the stay time, reduce the incidence of complications, and enhance nursing satisfaction, making it worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Introduction

Post-anesthesia care is defined as the period of recovery from the anesthetic agents' effects, where a thorough monitoring of vital signs is performed along with nursing interventions¹. During this period, mild complications such as nausea and vomiting, moderate complications such as excessive pain, and severe complications such as bleeding and asphyxia can develop². The implementation of routine nursing intervention can promote the postoperative recovery of patients; however, it lacks refinement, standardization, and a personalized approach. Thus, the complexity and variability of patients' conditions and compli....

Protocol

The research received approval from the ethics board of Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine (approval no. Ethics [2024]011). All participants in the study provided their written informed consent. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study subjects were 200 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine and Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2024 to December 2025. All patients underwent intervertebral disc removal, spinal canal decompression, intervertebral bone grafting, and pedicle screw internal fixation,....

Results

Demographic analysis
In total, there were 200 patients (n=100 in each group), with an age range of 50 to 70 years and an ASA grade ranging from II to III. No significant difference was observed in terms of age, gender, and ASA grade (p > 0.05) as shown in Table 1.

Aldrete score
The nursing interventions were performed on patients who were transferred to the anesthesia recovery room following surgery. Before the interventions, there .......

Discussion

Our study showed the following salient results: post-anesthetic recovery assessed by Aldrete score was superior in patients who underwent the clinical nursing pathway scheme as compared to those receiving routine care; the former group of patients also had a faster discharge from the anesthesia recovery room as compared to matched controls. Moreover, the VAS score and complication rates were lower in the interventional cohort, suggesting both greater subjective and objective post-anesthetic improvements. The clinical nur.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Analgesic (Fentanyl)	Janssen	NDC 50458-008-02
Anesthetic Gas (Sevoflurane)	Baxter	NDC 10019-773-60
Anti-Emetic (Ondansetron)	GSK	NDC 0173-0696-00
Blood Pressure Cuff	Welch Allyn	7162-075
Chlorhexidine Solution	3M	62076-80101
Endotracheal Tube	Medtronic	8691-5149
IV Catheter	BD	381534
IV Infusion Set	Baxter	2N2520
Laryngoscope	Teleflex	01-0028-001
Local Anesthetic (Bupivacaine)	Fresenius Kabi	NDC 63323-497-50
Nasal Oxygen Cannula	Hudson RCI	1801
Needle (Sterile)	BD	305175
Opioid Antagonist (Naloxone)	Hospira	NDC 0409-1773-02
Propofol (Injectable)	Fresenius Kabi	NDC 63323-497-01
Absorbent Gauze	Medline	MDS093544
Aldrete Score Form	Custom Design	N/A
Computer with SPSS 22.0	IBM	Not Specified
ECG Monitor	Philips	IntelliVue MX450
Electronic Randomizer	Research Randomizer	v4.0
Patient Satisfaction Form	Custom Design	N/A
Pedicle Screw System	Medtronic	CD Horizon Solera
Richmond Agitation Scale	Vanderbilt University	v1.3
Soft Pillow	Medline	NONSKU0001