Enhanced Preoperative Screening: Implementing Additional Marijuana Education to Heighten Awareness of Perioperative Complications

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Date

2025-05

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The Ohio State University

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Abstract

Purpose Marijuana use has become socially acceptable in the United States, leading to an increase in the number of active users who will be having elective surgery. Using marijuana on the day of surgery has put this population at risk for many perioperative complications, including myocardial infarction, strokes, poor pain control, and difficult ventilation. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) and Pain Medicine has created the first consensus guidelines on the management of perioperative patients using marijuana. Well-educated preoperative nurses are critical in screening for active users and increasing patient compliance. Design A quality improvement design was employed to evaluate the impact of an educational in-service on the knowledge of comprehensive preoperative assessment clinic (ComPAC) nurses concerning the ASRA marijuana guidelines. Method Using the marijuana guidelines, a 17-question multiple-choice Qualtrics survey was created. The test was administered before a 45-minute educational intervention to assess baseline knowledge of marijuana. A post-test and one-month retest were also administered to determine if knowledge had improved and been retained. Findings The baseline knowledge score averaged 63%, and the post-test score increased to 83%. A one-tailed correlated t-test yielded a p-value of 0.0087. The one-month retention test revealed sustainable improvement, with an average score of 87%. Conclusion Educational intervention improved the knowledge regarding the perioperative risks associated with marijuana use. This project reinforces the need for ongoing professional education to enhance intraoperative patient safety and compliance.

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Marijuana use, nurse education, preoperative screening, knowledge assessment

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