1. Does communication between neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists improve preoperative efficiency?
- Author
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Carolyn Quinsey, Joshua Loewenstein, Anthony M. Asher, and Deen L. Garba
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Neurosurgical Procedures ,Cohort Studies ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Blood loss ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Statistical significance ,Humans ,Medicine ,Prospective Studies ,Surgical checklist ,Prospective cohort study ,Craniotomy ,Procedure time ,Patient Care Team ,business.industry ,Communication ,General Medicine ,Checklist ,Anesthesiologists ,Neurosurgeons ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Preoperative Period ,Emergency medicine ,Surgery ,Neurology (clinical) ,Neurosurgery ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Background Suboptimal communication can lead to preventable preoperative delays. In our study, we aimed to identify factors delaying surgery in the immediate preoperative period. Our outcomes of interest were the anesthesia release to incision time (RIT) and preoperative expectations of neurosurgery and anesthesia providers. Additionally, we introduced new communication goals prior to induction, to examine the impact on preoperative efficiency. Methods The study is a prospective cohort analysis evaluating communication in the immediate preoperative period. In 42 consecutive cranial neurosurgical cases, a questionnaire was given to neurosurgical and anesthesia providers, and their responses were recorded. Halfway through this study, a formal pre-induction checklist was implemented that included expected duration of surgery, expected blood loss, surgical positioning, and intraoperative medication requirements. Results Comparing the cohorts before and after implementing the checklist, no difference in release to incision time was observed. However, the difference in estimated procedure time was significantly decreased after implementation of the formal pre-induction checklist. Further, there was a trend towards better agreement in estimated blood loss, although results did not achieve statistical significance. These delays all demonstrated a statistically significant decrease after the new communication goals were executed. Conclusion While no statistically significant change in release to incision time was uncovered during our study, there was evidence that communication between teams improved after implementation of the checklist. Additionally, we observed less discrepancy in estimated case length and blood loss, suggesting focused communication goals aligned expectations of the neurosurgical and anesthesia teams.
- Published
- 2021