Perioperative Corneal Abrasion: An Exploration of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists’ Preferences for Corneal Abrasion Prevention

Abstract

Corneal abrasions are the most common eye injury occurring during the perioperative period and anesthesia providers are responsible for maintaining patient safety during this time. This quality improvement project was performed to assess CRNAs’ preferences and practices regarding perioperative eye care and corneal abrasion prevention and perceptions of a newly developed corneal abrasion quick reference guide. A single plan-do-study-act cycle was utilized. The guide was provided to participants in both electronic and physical format and electronically delivered and Qualtrics surveys were employed to gather preferences and perceptions of the CRNAs prior to and after two weeks of guide use. Despite no standardized protocols for eye care at this facility, only one of the four participating CRNAs reporting ever having taken care of a patient diagnosed with a corneal abrasion and the majority already adhered to suggestions/guidelines described in current literature. Though the general trend was a slight increase in overall confidence level, it was difficult to discern changes due to only three CRNAs out of four responding to the post-intervention survey. Two thirds of post-survey participants reported they did not find the quick-reference guide useful and would be unlikely to use it in the future. Results of this quality improvement project, though limited, reinforce that eye protective measures are performed but are provider dependent with risk of injury an ongoing concern. Future efforts should include increased opportunities for participants to ask questions and provide feedback regarding prevention methods, a larger sample size, and longer period of exposure to the intervention.