A post-anesthetic discharge scoring system for home readiness after ambulatory surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the validity and reliability of an objective scoring system, the Post-Anesthetic Discharge Scoring System (PADSS), which was compared against existing Clinical Discharge Criteria in the ambulatory surgery unit of our hospital. DESIGN randomized, open study. SETTING Ambulatory surgery unit at a university teaching hospital. PATIENTS 247 ambulatory surgery patients undergoing general anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS One hour after the operation, the initial assessment using PADSS and the Clinical Discharge Criteria was made by an independent observer. Evaluations were repeated at 30-minute intervals until patients obtained a Post-Anesthetic Discharge Score of at least 9 and fulfilled the Clinical Discharge Criteria. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS There was a close correlation between the end of anesthesia to time patients were fit for discharge using either PADSS or the Clinical Discharge Criteria (Pearson's Correlation Coefficient r = 0.89). The internal consistency reliability of PADSS (alpha = 0.65) was superior to that of the Clinical Discharge Criteria (alpha = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS We have found PADSS to have superior measurement scaling and diagnostic properties.