Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate adherence to established discharge criteria, specifically the Aldrete checklist, in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) to ensure patient safety and optimize transitions to post-operative care.
Patients and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Firouzgar Medical Education and Research Center in Iran, involving 830 patients required general anesthesia. The study’s methodological framework leveraged the availability of eligible patient records during the research period, facilitating timely data collection within a single-center setting. However, this approach may introduce selection bias by overrepresenting certain patient profiles, such as those undergoing elective surgeries at Firouzgar Hospital. The data collection process drew upon three primary sources: patient demographic information, including age, gender and medical history; surgical data, encompassing the type and duration of surgery; and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) clinical data, which included the Aldrete score and staff evaluations of readiness for discharge. This centralized data sourcing strategy, while operationally efficient, risks creating a cohort that reflects institutional care patterns rather than broader population characteristics, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings.
Result: The findings revealed that 17.22% of patients were discharged from the PACU before meeting all criteria outlined in the Aldrete checklist. Among those prematurely discharged, 33.49% had oxygen saturation levels below the acceptable threshold, 77.02% had systolic blood pressure readings exceeding preoperative levels by more than the acceptable margin and 83.93% exhibited lower levels of consciousness than desired.
Conclusion: These results underscore the critical need for stricter adherence to established discharge protocols to ensure patient safety and prevent complications associated with premature PACU discharges. Healthcare institutions should prioritize comprehensive discharge protocols, provide adequate staff training, and consistently monitor adherence to these protocols to enhance patient safety and improve postoperative outcomes.

Keywords:Aldert discharge criteria; Discharge; General anesthesia; PACU; Post anesthesia nursing; Recovery