The Development of a Post Anesthetic Continuous Care Model in Post-Operative Neurosurgical Patients

Abstract

Post-anesthesia complications represent a critical patient safety concern in neurosurgical care, and nurses play an essential role in ensuring safe postoperative outcomes for neurosurgical patients. When patients receive appropriate and continuous nursing care, the risk of adverse events and postoperative complications can be significantly reduced. This research and development study aimed to develop a post-anesthesia continuous care model for postoperative neurosurgical patients. The study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1: a situational analysis of post-anesthesia care for neurosurgical patients through in-depth interviews with six multidisciplinary team members. Phase 2: the development of a post-anesthesia continuous care model using focus group discussions with nine multidisciplinary team members. Phase 3: evaluation of the effectiveness and appropriateness of the model through implementation by 15 professional nurses caring for 451 postoperative neurosurgical patients. The research instruments, developed by the researchers, included guiding questions for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument was used to assess the appropriateness of the model. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

The results showed that Phase 1 identified four key components of continuous post-anesthesia care for neurosurgical patients: 1) the experience of multidisciplinary team members; 2) preparation of nurse anesthetists prior to patient handover; 3) monitoring and supervision processes to ensure complete and accurate transfer of patient care information among healthcare teams; and 4) effective communication between nurse anesthetists transferring patients and professional nurses receiving patients. Phase 2 revealed that the developed post-anesthesia continuous care model involved both nurse anesthetists and professional nurses across three stages: pre-transfer, during transfer, and post-transfer. Phase 3 demonstrated that following implementation of the model with 451 patients, no adverse events were reported. Nurses evaluated the model as having a high level of appropriateness. Nursing practices guided by the developed model enhanced the efficiency of care delivery and improved patient safety in postoperative neurosurgical care.