title: Experiences of nurses related to prolonged-stay patients in a postanesthesia care unit in Karachi, Pakistan.
abstract: The role of the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is to provide short-term monitoring of patients after surgery until recovery from anesthesia. The transfer of patients from the PACU to their designated units, however, may be delayed for various reasons. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to explore the experiences of six nurses working in the PACU at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. The data were grouped into categories and subcategories. An overarching theme that was derived from the content analysis was that of the factors impacting quality patient care. The content analysis generated a broad category of "general effects" and subcategories that included patients, families, and PACU nurses. The findings highlight the effects of prolonged PACU stays on patients, their families, and PACU nurses.
authors.affiliation: The Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, Karachi, Pakistan. sharifa.lalani@aku.edu
authors.forename: Sharifa Bashir
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Lalani
authors.forename: Zeenatkhanu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kanji
authors.forename: Fauziya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D007902:Length of Stay; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D010154:Pakistan; D016528:Postanesthesia Nursing