Clinical practice and procedures for postoperative care in Sweden: Results from a nationwide survey

A nationwide survey describing Swedish post-anaesthesia care units (PACUs), n = 75 was undertaken. The patients most commonly cared for at PACUs were patients who had undergone laparoscopic surgery, 69.3%, followed by patients who had undergone minor orthopaedic surgery, 68%. At the majority of the PACUs, 86.7%, the staff cared for emergency surgery patients and 48% for day surgery patients. In 31% of the PACUs, a pain relief service was offered through a specific pain service team. During the daytime, the anaesthetist in charge most frequently worked in the operating room 42.7%, and on call in the intensive care unit, 37.3% of the time. In 88% of the PACUs, either all or most registered nurses had a specialist education at an advanced level. The most frequent ratio of registered nurses to patients was 1 to 4, 37.3%. However, Swedish PACUS are also staffed by assistant nurses and the most frequent ratio of registered nurse to assistant nurse was 1:1. Thirty-three (44%) of the PACUs had access to a physiotherapist during the daytime. Almost all PACUs (93.3%) had predetermined discharge criteria but in the majority of PACUs' high-risk patients (68%) were not followed up by an anaesthetist after discharge from the PACU.