Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
2021
Upload Date
2024
First Advisor
Christie Black
Abstract
The opioid epidemic is at a critical point in the United States. This quality improvement project aims to determine which anesthesia strategies lessen the use of opioids in the surgical setting to reduce this raging epidemic. The process included total knee replacement record reviews. Reviews used general linear models to compare two multimodal anesthetic plans, including pre-medications in addition to an adductor canal and subarachnoid nerve block. The researcher reviewed the records for these patients comparing those receiving only an adductor canal and those receiving a subarachnoid nerve block. The record reviews identified postoperative pain level documentation and hospital inpatient lengths of stay for the two different anesthesia modalities. Coordinators selected and de-identified eighty-six random total knee arthroplasty health records. They reviewed documents to identify which type of anesthesia interventions were recorded. Next, pain levels and lengths of stay were abstracted. The results revealed significantly lower pain levels and shorter stays for patients who received the three oral medications before surgery. Oral pre-medication administration before an entire joint surgical procedure can decrease opioid use postoperatively, thereby reducing opioid dependency.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gilliland, Mary Christine, "Local Impact of Implementing Multimodal Anesthesia for Total Joint Arthroplasty" (2021). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 48.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/48
