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PTU: Transitioning to a comfort zone

Nursing Progress Notes - Fall-Winter 2008

by Debbie Sharp

Overnight post-operative patients at M. D. Anderson have Marian Thomas, associate director of clinical nursing, to thank for their comfortable surroundings in the Post Anesthesia Care Transition Unit (PTU).

 Emma Morales, clinical nurse, PACU

Emma Morales, clinical nurse, PACU

A tight squeeze

According to Thomas, a few years back, the institution was seeing a steady increase in overnight recoveries in the PACU, as patients had to wait for available beds. Patients and family members began voicing their concerns with the high noise levels, lack of privacy, uncomfortable stretchers and limited visitation hours.

“We also were getting feedback from the physicians that surgery cases might have to be postponed because there was no room for new patients,” states Patricia Hannon, director of clinical nursing. "We decided it would be nice if there was a transition area to move the patients to overnight so they could stay under the care of the PACU while waiting on a bed – kind of like a holding area."

A collaborative effort

In 2007, the team worked closely with multiple disciplines across the institution to set up transition rooms, first in an empty space on P6 and later moving to P3. “We met with Facilities to supply rooms with post-surgical monitoring equipment, with Pharmacy to set up a nearby Pyxis machine for faster drug access, and with physicians to make sure they knew we would be providing the same level of care by staffing the transition unit with PACU nurses,” says Thomas.

Successful move

The 16-bed unit, which officially opened in May 2007, has continued to see a steady flow of patients. “We are now fully staffed with 55 nurses between the two units,” says Thomas. “And the nurses are trained to go back and forth to keep up their skills.”

Thomas adds that patients love it because of the increased privacy, and families love it because they can stay with their loved ones in the room. Physicians also are pleased with the improvement in patient flow. There’s an empty PACU each morning ready for new pre-operative patients and cases don’t have to be canceled or postponed because of lack of postoperative recovery space.

“What I love about the transition unit is that we focused on the patients and what they were telling us,” says Hannon. “We took it seriously and looked at ways to resolve the problem. That makes me very proud to be a part of this nursing team.”

NPN Fall-Winter 2008


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