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Impact of standardized nursing protocols in the post-anesthesia care unit on patient safety during recovery from anesthesia: A meta-analysis.

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Τίτλος: Impact of standardized nursing protocols in the post-anesthesia care unit on patient safety during recovery from anesthesia: A meta-analysis.
Συγγραφείς: Bai Y; Department of Anesthesiology, Linping District Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China., Zhu S; Department of Anesthesiology, Linping District Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China., Chen X; Operating Room, Linping District Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China.
Πηγή: Medicine [Medicine (Baltimore)] 2026 Jul 17; Vol. 105 (29), pp. e49623.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article; Meta-Analysis; Systematic Review
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 2985248R Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1536-5964 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00257974 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Medicine (Baltimore) Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Hagerstown, Md : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Patient Safety*/standards , Postanesthesia Nursing*/standards , Clinical Protocols*/standards , Anesthesia Recovery Period*, Humans ; Recovery Room ; Length of Stay ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Περίληψη: Background: To systematically evaluate the impact of standardized nursing protocols in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) on patient safety, recovery efficiency, and quality of care during the post-anesthesia transition.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across major databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, to identify randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing standardized PACU nursing protocols with conventional care. The search period extended from database inception to January 20, 2026. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 17.0, with results expressed as mean differences (MD) or odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results: A total of 14 studies were included (11 randomized controlled trials and 3 cohort studies), encompassing 4268 patients. Meta-analysis demonstrated that, compared with conventional care, the implementation of standardized nursing protocols significantly reduced the overall incidence of adverse events (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.23-0.60, P < .001) and shortened PACU length of stay (MD = -10.65 minutes, 95% CI: -19.10 to -2.19, P = .01). Furthermore, the standardized protocols were associated with significantly improved patient comfort scores (MD = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.63-2.12, P < .001) and higher nursing satisfaction rates (OR = 3.18, 95% CI: 2.01-5.02, P < .001). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.
Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that standardized nursing protocols in the PACU significantly enhance patient safety, optimize recovery efficiency, and improve the patient experience. These findings support the widespread clinical adoption and refinement of evidence-based standardized nursing models to minimize perioperative risks.
(Copyright © 2026 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, LLC.)
Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to declare.
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Contributed Indexing: Keywords: complications; meta-analysis; patient safety; post-anesthesia care unit; postoperative recovery; standardized nursing protocols
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260718 Date Completed: 20260718 Latest Revision: 20260729
Update Code: 20260730
PubMed Central ID: PMC13384641
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000049623
PMID: 42470014
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
Περιγραφή
ISSN:1536-5964
DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000049623