What it means
After surgery, recovery begins in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), where the client is watched closely until they wake up and are stable. In mental health and substance use care, recovery is an ongoing process: the person works toward better health and a life they choose, and setbacks can be part of it.
For the nurse
In the PACU, check the airway, breathing, vital signs, pain and level of consciousness often. In mental health care, support the goals the client sets for themselves.
At a glance
| Spanish | recuperación |
|---|
Related terms
postoperative
Describing the time after surgery, from the end of the operation until recovery.
anesthesia
Loss of feeling or sensation, often brought on by drugs so that surgery or a procedure can be done without pain.
addiction
A long-term condition in which a person keeps using a substance or doing a behavior despite the harm it causes.