Congratulations to Brian A. Williams, MD, MBA, whose project "Design the Anesthetic to Meet the WAKE Score" has been declared by VA Central Office as a "Gold Status Promising Practice," the highest achievement conferred to the top 10 of 250 total submissions for the VA’s Promising Practice National Consortium. As part of this honor, the project will be implemented at other VA medical centers, facilities, and regions. Dr. Williams has been invited to participate in the "Diffusion of Excellence" implementation phase of the project as a Best Practice Fellow.
This project builds upon the "WAKE Score," which was created in 1997 by Drs. Brian A. Williams and Michael L. Kentor and outlines recovery parameters after anesthesia and/or moderate sedation, including Phase 1 PACU Bypass immediately after operating room exit. Between 2009 and 2011, WAKE became the UPMC standard for recovery scoring across all UPMC hospitals. In 2011, the WAKE Score replaced the Aldrete Recovery Score at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
The presentation "Design the Anesthetic to Meet the WAKE Score" (PDF) describes the project.