Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Risk Assessment Audit

Free projects are complete and ready to use. Paid projects can also be adapted to your local requirements. This project uses a fixed Lazomis clinical configuration of 40 audit criteria across cohort and procedure context, PONV risk factor assessment, risk categorisation and communication, prophylaxis and risk reduction, rescue planning and postoperative assessment, treatment, response and escalation, day surgery, recovery and discharge, and handover, records and governance. Data collection, dashboards, findings, improvement planning, re-audit and every output are included at no cost.

• Anaesthetists, anaesthesia associates and perioperative teams
• Recovery, day surgery and ambulatory unit nursing teams
• Clinical pharmacists and enhanced recovery leads
• QI, clinical governance and trainees needing ARCP-ready evidence

• Measure whether PONV risk is assessed and categorised before or during anaesthesia
• Review whether prophylaxis and risk-reduction strategies are matched to documented risk
• Review postoperative assessment, rescue treatment and reassessment of response
• Review the impact of PONV on discharge, unplanned admission and patient information
• Generate governance-ready and ARCP-ready evidence

• Anonymised case number, care setting, specialty, procedure category and anaesthetic technique
• Age band, sex, smoking status, previous PONV or motion sickness and anticipated opioid use
• Risk tool used, documented risk category, prophylaxis given and rescue plan
• PONV occurrence, severity, treatment, response, discharge impact and take-home antiemetic
• 40 fixed audit criteria (Yes / No / Not applicable)
• Free-text learning points

• Live dashboard
• Audit report (Word)
• Executive summary (Word)
• Excel workbook
• PowerPoint presentation
• Conference poster
• ARCP evidence summary

• Designed to use anonymised or pseudonymised audit identifiers.
• This tool supports, but does not replace, clinical judgement.
• Local policy, formulary and specialist advice should be followed.
• Organisations remain responsible for local governance arrangements.
• This tool supports clinical audit and quality improvement. It does not replace clinical judgement, local policy, specialist advice or urgent escalation pathways.
• This is not an antiemetic prescribing guideline. It does not specify drug choices, doses, combinations or thresholds — local policy and formulary apply.
• Persistent, severe or refractory PONV, aspiration risk, dehydration or surgical concern should be managed through local urgent escalation pathways.
• Local anaesthesia, antiemetic, day surgery, recovery, enhanced recovery, discharge and escalation policies should be followed.
• Use anonymous case identifiers only — never patient-identifiable information.

Supporting guidance from the Lazomis QI Resource Library. Authoritative clinical standards referenced by this project remain separate.

• Clinical GovernanceIntegrating Quality Improvement into Clinical Governance FrameworksThis article explores the vital relationship between Quality Improvement (QI) and Clinical Governance within the NHS, demonstrating how they are two sides of the same coin when aiming for continuous, systematic improvement in patient care.
• Patient SafetyReducing Handover Failures for Safer Patient CareEffective clinical handover is critical for patient safety, yet failures remain a significant contributor to adverse events. This guide explores the common pitfalls and offers practical, evidence-based strategies to improve handover processes across healthcare settings.
• Clinical GovernanceEffective Clinical Governance Meetings: Driving Improvement, Not Just ReportingThis guide helps NHS teams redefine their clinical governance meetings, moving beyond mere reporting to foster proactive discussion, shared learning, and tangible improvement actions for patient safety and quality of care.
• Quality ImprovementHow Many PDSA Cycles Does a Quality Improvement Project Need?This guide explains the iterative nature of PDSA cycles and offers practical advice for determining the appropriate number of cycles needed for effective quality improvement in NHS settings.