The impact of anesthesiology service accreditation on the incidence of postoperative hypothermia: A time series study

Abstract

Abstract Background: Hospital and medical subspecialties accreditation programs evaluate institutions based on predetermined quality standards. Several indicators can be used to measure the quality of health. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of accreditation on postoperative hypothermia rate in an anesthesiology department. Methods: This was a longitudinal, observational and retrospective study, with an interrupted time series design. The temperatures of patients in post-anesthetic recovery were analyzed between January 2021 and February 2023 with three cycles of plan-do-study-act interventions being carried out during this period. Mild and moderate hypothermia rates and monthly temperature means were evaluated using linear regression graphs to verify possible shifts in variables or trends. Results: The data were collected from 20,149 participants. It was observed an increase in level (0.3 degrees, P=0.005) and in trend (0.2 degrees/month, P=0.02) in monthly temperature mean along the accreditation program. The rate of moderate hypothermia fell by a mean of 3.6%/month (P = 0.001) getting close to zero (P=0.03). Mild hypothermia was initially more resistant but showed a significant downward trend after the third intervention cycle decreasing by 9%/month (P = 0.01). Conclusion: This study shows a beneficial effect of accreditation on postoperative hypothermia rate in an anesthesiology service.