Postoperative RecoveryOUTSIDENCT06742658
Quality ImprOvement stUdy ouTpatient Surgery rapID movE
An observational study of Postoperative Recovery, run by Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares at 1 site in Belgium.
Trial summary
This quality improvement study aims to evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway improved the efficiency of patient flow and evaluating protocol adherence. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 15 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Postoperative Recovery
- What is being tested?
- Recovery
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Surgery or procedure
- How many people
- 5,126 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBelgium
- Study dates
- 1 Dec 2023to 31 Jul 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 15 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: To evaluate system-level outcomes, all patients admitted to the PACU or Rapid Recovery Unit during the pre-implementation period (1 January 2022 to 30 April 2023) and the post-implementation period (1 June 2023 to 31 December 2025) will be included. To evaluate patient-level outcomes, a subgroup of the pre-implementation cohort will include all eligible outpatients, aged 15 years or over, who underwent surgical procedures between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2023 that would currently qualify for the Rapid Recovery pathway, but who received standard postoperative care before the pathway implementation. A subgroup of the post-implementation cohort will include all consecutive outpatients admitted to the Rapid Recovery Unit following outpatient surgery between 1 December 2023 and 31 December 2025.
All patients admitted to the PACU or Rapid Recovery unit between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2025.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Implementation and Evaluation of a Nurse-Led PACU-to-Home Pathway Following Outpatient Surgery: a Quality Improvement Study
This quality improvement study aims to evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway improved the efficiency of patient flow and evaluating protocol adherence.
Read the detailed description
The Rapid Recovery pathway was developed based on the assumption that selected low-risk outpatient procedures do not require prolonged observation in a traditional PACU environment. By introducing a dedicated Rapid Recovery Unit, additional postoperative recovery capacity was created for patients undergoing short-duration procedures. The pathway combines protocolized nurse-led recovery, continuous monitoring, and predefined discharge criteria, with the aim of improving postoperative patient flow.
Despite the extensive research on PACU bypassing, to our knowledge no studies have evaluated a nurse-led PACU-to-home pathway in which patients recover from anaesthesia and are discharged directly home within approximately one hour after surgery based on predefined discharge criteria. The Rapid Recovery pathway therefore represents a novel approach to postoperative care for selected low-risk outpatient procedures. This quality improvement study aims to evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway improved the efficiency of patient flow and evaluating protocol adherence.
- Conditions
- Postoperative Recovery
- Being tested
- Recovery
- Keywords
- Postoperative recovery, PACU, Rapid Move
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
RecoveryProcedure or surgery
After surgery, the patient is transferred to the Rapid Recovery Unit, where continuous monitoring of vital signs is performed. Pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and potential complications are assessed once for patients who received only locoregional anaesthesia and three times for those who underwent general anaesthesia. Once the patient meets both monitored-ward and day-hospital discharge criteria, they are cleared for discharge. The discharge letter must be available in the electronic patient record before discharge. Following medical and administrative clearance, patients use the restroom, dress, and proceed to the discharge lounge for oral intake while awaiting transport home.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| All patients admitted to the recovery unit between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2025 | To evaluate system-level outcomes, all patients admitted to the PACU or Rapid Recovery Unit during the pre-implementation period (1 January 2022 to 30 April 2023) and the post-implementation period (1 June 2023 to 31 December 2025) will be included.
To evaluate patient-level outcomes, a subgroup of the pre-implementation cohort will include all eligible outpatients, aged 15 years or over, who underwent surgical procedures between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2023 that would currently qualify for the Rapid Recovery pathway, but who received standard postoperative care before the pathway implementation. A subgroup of the post-implementation cohort will include all consecutive outpatients admitted to the Rapid Recovery Unit following outpatient surgery between 1 December 2023 and 31 December 2025. Receives: Procedure: Recovery |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Monthly PACU delay time
To evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway was associated with changes in patient flow efficiency, measured by monthly PACU delay time, using interrupted time series analysis.
Measured: January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Secondary outcomes (6)
Monthly PACU occupancy rates
To evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway was associated with changes in patient flow efficiency, measured by monthly PACU occupancy rates, using interrupted time series analysis.
Measured: January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Monthly operating room delay time
To evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway was associated with changes in patient flow efficiency, measured by monthly operating room delay time, using interrupted time series analysis.
Measured: January 2022 until 31 December 2025
30-day readmission rates
To observe the difference in 30-day readmission rates between patients in the Rapid Recovery pathway compared to the traditional recovery pathway.
Measured: 30 days after surgery, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Pain scores
To observe the difference in postoperative pain scores between patients in the Rapid Recovery pathway compared to the traditional recovery pathway.
Measured: Until hospital discharge, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
PONV
To observe the difference in postoperative PONV between patients in the Rapid Recovery pathway compared to the traditional recovery pathway.
Measured: Until hospital discharge, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Opioid use
To observe the difference in postoperative opioid use between patients in the Rapid Recovery pathway compared to the traditional recovery pathway.
Measured: Until hospital discharge, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Dec 2024
- Study start1 Dec 2023
- Primary completion31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Postoperative RecoveryStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 5,126 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University Ghent
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Ella Hemie, Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares
- Investigators
- Ella Hermie, MSc, Principal investigator, Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06742658
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MMS.2024.079
- Acronym
- OUTSIDE
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 28 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Implementation and Evaluation of a Nurse-Led PACU-to-Home Pathway Following Outpatient Surgery: a Quality Improvement Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06742658
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- OUTSIDE / MMS.2024.079
- Conditions
- Postoperative Recovery
- Keywords
- Postoperative recovery, PACU, Rapid Move
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 5,126 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria MiddelaresUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University Ghent
- Study start
- 1 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This quality improvement study aims to evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway improved the efficiency of patient flow and evaluating protocol adherence.
Detailed description
The Rapid Recovery pathway was developed based on the assumption that selected low-risk outpatient procedures do not require prolonged observation in a traditional PACU environment. By introducing a dedicated Rapid Recovery Unit, additional postoperative recovery capacity was created for patients undergoing short-duration procedures. The pathway combines protocolized nurse-led recovery, continuous monitoring, and predefined discharge criteria, with the aim of improving postoperative patient flow.
Despite the extensive research on PACU bypassing, to our knowledge no studies have evaluated a nurse-led PACU-to-home pathway in which patients recover from anaesthesia and are discharged directly home within approximately one hour after surgery based on predefined discharge criteria. The Rapid Recovery pathway therefore represents a novel approach to postoperative care for selected low-risk outpatient procedures. This quality improvement study aims to evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway improved the efficiency of patient flow and evaluating protocol adherence.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| All patients admitted to the recovery unit between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2025 | – | Procedure: RecoveryTo evaluate system-level outcomes, all patients admitted to the PACU or Rapid Recovery Unit during the pre-implementation period (1 January 2022 to 30 April 2023) and the post-implementation period (1 June 2023 to 31 December 2025) will be included. To evaluate patient-level outcomes, a subgroup of the pre-implementation cohort will include all eligible outpatients, aged 15 years or over, who underwent surgical procedures between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2023 that would currently qualify for the Rapid Recovery pathway, but who received standard postoperative care before the pathway implementation. A subgroup of the post-implementation cohort will include all consecutive outpatients admitted to the Rapid Recovery Unit following outpatient surgery between 1 December 2023 and 31 December 2025. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 15 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- To evaluate system-level outcomes, all patients admitted to the PACU or Rapid Recovery Unit during the pre-implementation period (1 January 2022 to 30 April 2023) and the post-implementation period (1 June 2023 to 31 December 2025) will be included. To evaluate patient-level outcomes, a subgroup of the pre-implementation cohort will include all eligible outpatients, aged 15 years or over, who underwent surgical procedures between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2023 that would currently qualify for the Rapid Recovery pathway, but who received standard postoperative care before the pathway implementation. A subgroup of the post-implementation cohort will include all consecutive outpatients admitted to the Rapid Recovery Unit following outpatient surgery between 1 December 2023 and 31 December 2025.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| RecoveryAfter surgery, the patient is transferred to the Rapid Recovery Unit, where continuous monitoring of vital signs is performed. Pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and potential complications are assessed once for patients who received only locoregional anaesthesia and three times for those who underwent general anaesthesia. Once the patient meets both monitored-ward and day-hospital discharge criteria, they are cleared for discharge. The discharge letter must be available in the electronic patient record before discharge. Following medical and administrative clearance, patients use the restroom, dress, and proceed to the discharge lounge for oral intake while awaiting transport home. | Procedure or surgery | All patients admitted to the recovery unit between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2025 |
Primary outcome
Monthly PACU delay time
Time frame: January 2022 until 31 December 2025
To evaluate whether the implementation of the Rapid Recovery pathway was associated with changes in patient flow efficiency, measured by monthly PACU delay time, using interrupted time series analysis.
6 secondary outcomes
Monthly PACU occupancy rates
Time frame: January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Monthly operating room delay time
Time frame: January 2022 until 31 December 2025
30-day readmission rates
Time frame: 30 days after surgery, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Pain scores
Time frame: Until hospital discharge, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
PONV
Time frame: Until hospital discharge, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Opioid use
Time frame: Until hospital discharge, January 2022 until 31 December 2025
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Ella Hermie, MSc principal investigator
Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Postoperative Recovery, run by Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares at 1 site in Belgium.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Monthly PACU delay time (time frame: January 2022 until 31 December 2025). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 29 Oct 2026.