Improving care for patients with dementia in the recovery room.

Caring for patients with dementia emerging from general anaesthesia in the recovery room can be very challenging. Sedation is sometimes necessary in order to nurse patients effectively and avoid any negative consequences of poor post-anaesthetic care. No local or national guidelines could be found to suggest best nursing practice in this situation. Three small-scale innovations were introduced into the recovery room in one hospital as part of a quality improvement project to give alternatives to chemical restraint. These were: music and distraction therapy, maximising the use of the 'About Me' document and improved access to staff training. The simple innovations were well received by recovery room staff. Further research is needed to quantify the benefits of these innovations and further work is needed to develop use of the carer's passport in recovery.