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.