RESUMO
PURPOSE: This quality improvement project aimed to change the practice of administration route of acetaminophen from intravenous (IV) to oral to patients having a hysterectomy at a community hospital, reduce costs, and maintain postanesthesia care unit pain scores for patients who receive oral acetaminophen comparable to those who receive IV acetaminophen. DESIGN: There were 46 participants: 23 in the preintervention group and 23 in the postintervention group. METHODS: Data retrieved from the electronic medical record included the route of acetaminophen administered, cost, and pain scores. FINDINGS: Implementation of this quality improvement project resulted in no difference in the pain scores between the preintervention and postintervention groups (P = .637). In addition, the hospital cost for acetaminophen decreased 95.25% and patients saved $6,683 during the 3-month implementation period. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of oral acetaminophen provided equivalent postoperative analgesia compared with IV acetaminophen and reduced costs for both the hospital and patients.