Title- Implementation of a Warming Protocol to Prevent Unintentional Perioperative Hypothermia in PACUCandidate: Michelle Johnson MSN, RNProgram: Doctor of Nursing PracticeSponsoring Chair: Dr. Katherine Shue McGuffinCommittee: Dr. Charlene Whitaker-Brown, Dr. Victoria Bae-JumpDefense Date: March 20, 2019 at 9:30amLocation: College Health and Human ServiceAbstract:Background/Problem: The incidence of hypothermia continues to rise in hospital patients post-surgically. As a result, healthcare providers are seeking more cost-effective and preventive measures to reduce hypothermia (Danzl, 2017). Perioperative hypothermia is a frequent and severe complication of surgery; it is associated with many undesirable outcomes, including patient discomfort, delayed or prolonged recovery, coagulopathy, surgical infections and adverse cardiac events (Foushee et al., 2018).Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the impact of a warming protocol to prevent perioperative hypothermia in Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).Methods: A total of 30 Gynecology Oncology patients receiving robotic or laparoscopic surgery, between the ages 35-75 years old, were enrolled in the study. An educational training was conducted with nursing staff and a prewarming protocol was implemented for the 30 patients using a Bair Hugger (forced-air-warming device). Subsequently, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative temperatures were evaluated for an increase in temperature following the utilization of a Bair Hugger warming device before and during surgery.Results: Evaluation of the protocol revealed that prewarming the patient prior to coming into the operating room was effective. The results of a box plot t-test show that preoperative to intraoperative temperatures improved (P<0.001). intraoperative to PACU temperatures improved (P<0.01), and intraoperative to PACU discharged temperatures improved after using a Bair Hugger device ( P<0.001). Conclusions: Implementation of a prewarming protocol using a forced-air-warming Bair Hugger device in the perioperative service area can improve temperatures postoperatively and may improve patient outcomes.