ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To improve knowledge and raise awareness of nurses who assist certified registered nurse anesthetists or anesthesiologists with peripheral nerve block or spinal block procedures about a potential life-threatening local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) event. DESIGN: An evidence-based practice project design. METHODS: Nurses in units where nerve block procedures were performed (ie, postanesthesia care unit, preoperative, operating room, outpatient services, labor and delivery unit) received a pretest about their knowledge of LAST events, participated in a 30-minute educational session, and then completed a post-test. The data were analyzed for differences and statistical significance. Included in the test was a question about the nurse's comfort level with managing a LAST event. FINDINGS: The findings demonstrated a knowledge deficit related to LAST events. The average of all three units combined pretest scores was 60% and post-test scores increased to 95%. The average comfort level of all three units was 3.5/10 (35%) before the educational in-service program and increased to 7.9/10 (79%) after education. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses working in units where nerve blocks are performed are lacking in knowledge of the signs and symptoms and the correct course of treatment for a LAST event. This could lead to poor outcomes of a very high-risk low-volume event.
