Assessment of Staffing and Service Provision in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit of Hospitals Found in Amhara Regional State, 2020

BACKGROUND: Post-anesthesia recovery is a continuous process which is considered to be complete after the patient returns to their preoperative physiological state. Although all patients who have had an operation under anesthesia are in a potentially unstable physiological state, most patients recover safely without significant problems due to better and immediate post-anesthesia care. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the staffing and service provision in the post-anesthesia care unit. METHODS: A multicenter, institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in post-anesthesia care units from November 28 to December 31, 2020. The data were collected using a questionnaire prepared from standards and guidelines of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and the Royal College of Anesthetists by direct observation. RESULTS: Ten hospitals found in Amhara regional state were examined for their staffing of and service provision in their post-anesthesia care units. The total ratio of nurses assigned in post-anesthesia care units to post-anesthesia care unit beds was around 1:3, with a minimum and a maximum ratio of 1:8 and 1:2, respectively. The average number of patients admitted in post-anesthesia care units per week was 98. Eighty percent of the hospitals' post-anesthesia care units had no policy or caregivers for cardiac arrest management. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Standards, policies, and guidelines are not well prepared and posted so as to be visible to every caregiver. The majority of the hospitals have staff without special training for the management of possible complications in the post-anesthesia care unit. Generally, hospitals need to ensure standardized patient care in the post-anesthesia care unit for better and safer patient outcomes.