Evaluation of a Presurgical Pregnancy Testing Protocol at an Ambulatory Surgery Center

Purpose A presurgical pregnancy testing protocol is recommended to prevent the administration of surgery and anesthesia to women of childbearing years who present for surgery with an undetected pregnancy. It is important to determine the compliance, cost analysis, time required, and barriers to complete a presurgical pregnancy testing protocol. Design Postimplementation qualitative and quantitative evaluation of a presurgical pregnancy protocol. Methods A review of the patient's electronic medical record, survey of the nursing staff, and an administrative interview was conducted 1 year after implementation of the presurgical pregnancy protocol. Findings Overall presurgical pregnancy protocol compliance was 0.7%. The total labor and equipment costs were $19,033 to $30,202 per year. Nurses reported significant time- and patient-related barriers to execute the protocol. Conclusions A pregnancy testing protocol is a valuable safety measure that faces barriers, which can impede compliance. Through the use of simplified protocols, educational interventions for patients and providers, protocol compliance can be increased.