Background 

While general anesthesia in the prone position is one of the most utilized surgical positions, it predisposes to multiple types of complications. Existing studies on this topic are mostly literature reviews or focus on solving one complication, which limits their clinical use.

Objective 

The aims of the study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a 22-item general anesthesia and prone position nursing checklist and specific training course at preventing complications related to general anesthesia in the prone position.

Design 

The study used a randomized controlled trial.

Settings and Participants 

Convenience sampling was used to recruit patients who underwent general anesthesia during posterior lumbar surgery from July 2021 to December 2021 at the Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Hospital.

Methods 

Patients involved in the study were randomly assigned to the control (standard general anesthesia and prone position care) or experimental group (general anesthesia and prone position nursing checklist combined with specific training course in addition to standard general anesthesia and prone position care). Outcomes were pressure injuries, peripheral nerve injuries, ocular complications, and length of stay (LOS). Patient satisfaction, Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS) and the Oswestry Disability Scale were also measured.

Results 

Compared with the control group, pressure injury, brachial plexus injury, and two ocular findings (foreign body sensation and blurry vision) were significantly less common in the intervention group (P ≤ 0.01). Participants who received standard general anesthesia and prone position care had lower self-reported satisfaction than those managed with the general anesthesia and prone position nursing checklist plus specific training course (P = 0.002). The checklist-based intervention also significantly reduced LOS (P = 0.000) and NRS (P = 0.000).

Conclusions 

The intervention group had significant fewer general anesthesia in the prone position-related complications, improved satisfaction, reduced LOS, and lower NRS. These findings suggest that a general anesthesia and prone position nursing checklist in addition to a specific training course are beneficial to standardizing prone position nursing care during posterior lumbar surgery.