The effectiveness of regional anaesthesia before and after the introduction of a dedicated regional anaesthesia service incorporating a block room

Dedicated regional anaesthesia services incorporating block rooms and/or block teams may facilitate theatre efficiency and improve training in regional anaesthesia. Currently, it is unknown if a dedicated regional anaesthesia service improves the effectiveness of regional anaesthesia. In November 2013, the Royal Brisbane and Women ’s Hospital established a dedicated regional anaesthesia service comprising a block team and a block room. Pre-intervention (conventional model of care) registry data was retrospectively compared with post-intervention (dedicated regional anaesthesia service) audit data, with regard to pain and op ioid requirement in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU). The primary outcome was inadequate analgesia, defined as a numerical rating scale (NRS; 0, no pain; 10, worst pain imaginable) for pain>5 in the PACU. Pre- and post-intervention, 43.7% and 27.7% of patients respectively reported a NRS>5 (P5) was 0.54 (95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.76) for post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. Secondary outcomes examined pre- and post-intervention were the absence of pain (39.3% and 55.1% of patients, respectively,P
Source: Anaesthesia and Intensive Care - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research