iarjcrIARJCRIARJCR2789-606410.47310/iarjcr.2023.v03i01.00710.47310/iarjcr.2023.v03i01.007Delay in patient discharge from post anesthesia care unit: quantifying delay in arrival of receiving nurse as a factorAzizaKhalifa Ali AlBusaidiAbdullahAlJadidiLizyManiRashidMKhanIntroduction: Patients are kept in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) until their condition is stabilized before transfer to their respective ward, or high dependency or intensive care unit. Prolonged length of stay in the PACU leads to unwanted congestion, poor patient care and patient dissatisfaction. The aim of this audit was to determine the incidence and to identify the factors that lead to delay discharge from our PACU due to late arrival of receiving nurse from respective clinical areas. Methods: This audit was conducted over a 5-week period from from March 26 to April 30, 2023. Patients were considered ready for discharge from PACU after they had achieved a satisfactory Aldrete score of ≥ 9.0. If the receiving nurse arrived more than 15 min late after being called, it was considered as delayed transfer. The data obtained have been expressed in tables as frequencies and percentage. Results: A total of 147 patients admitted to our PACU over the 5-week study period. Majority of patients, 81/147 (55.1%), had prolonged length of stay in the PACU because of late arrival of receiving nurse. 76.5% (62/81) of nurses who came late to PACU, could not give any reason for their late arrival. Of the 19 nurses who gave reasons, the most common cause was high work load in the wards and shift change time. This accounted for 42.1% (8/19). Conclusion: Proportion of delayed discharge of patients from our PACU was significant. Receiving nurse related delays contributed for a considerable extension of a patient's time in PACU. Understanding and addressing the causes of delayed discharge from PACU is essential and remedial steps should be incorporated to iron-out these lapses.