Could Your Patient be Taking Uber or Lyft Post-Anesthesia? A New Era for Transportation Policy and Practice Considerations

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to examine nurse anesthetists' practice and encounters with ambulatory surgery patients experiencing transportation difficulties after the provision of anesthesia. Design: A mixed method approach was used. Methods: An eleven-item questionnaire was disseminated nationally to 2,827 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) practicing in the outpatient setting. The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions and open text for qualitative assessment. Questions focused on frequency of encounters with patients experiencing transportation difficulties post-anesthesia and policies for rideshare options. Findings: A total of 43% of responding CRNAs work in a clinical practice setting in which patients have the option of being discharged using rideshare (Uber/Lyft) but only if accompanied by an adult. Issues emerged around patient safety when using a rideshare service for discharge postanesthesia. Conclusions: The proliferation of rideshare options may provide increased access to surgical services in the outpatient anesthesia care setting. Practice considerations associated with transportation policies for postanesthesia patients in the era of rideshare services are warranted. (C) 2021 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.