The Anesthesiologist: A Case Study

The project manager was responsible for collecting and organizing data, utilizing current evidence-based practice methods, motivating team members involved in the project, keeping the entire project on track, educating patients on deep breathing, and improvising the project if necessary. Each team member was involved in the direct teaching to their patients, documentation of data, assist with team meetings as necessary, motivate other registered nurses in the unit to perform deep breathing exercises with their patients, and provide needed recommendations. Each team member also contributed thoughts regarding the best way to perform deep breathing exercises and added to the official handout. The anesthesiologist was responsible for being a resource

These initial twenty minutes were spent asking the patient to take deep breaths in order to wean them off supplemental oxygen. After the nurse demonstrates these exercises the patient must then do a return demonstration. Different breathing exercise styles were provided depending on the needs of the patient. The purpose of the project is to prevent postoperative lung complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, relieve pain and improve oxygenation. Improvement of the patient’s oxygen saturation was measured by successful weaning of supplemental oxygenation. An initial problem that I saw with the postoperative patient was that they were not taking deep breaths after surgery. This resulted in poor oxygenation determined by a saturation of less than ninety-one percent and a prolonged unnecessary period of supplemental oxygen use. Through the use of these deep-breathing exercises most patients were able to be weaned off oxygen and therefore were transferred to the discharge area which resulted in a shorter period of time spent in the hospital. This shortened period of time was not documented, however, the results of successful education and oxygen weaning