1 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9
Chicagoland's
Advocate Good
Samaritan Hospital
now offers colono-
scopies on one
Saturday a month to
meet the growing
demand from work-
ing-age patients.
Weekend screenings
are a growing trend
that lets patients
undergo procedures
without having to take
time off from work.
"It's been a huge
patient satisfier," says Laurie Polakoff, MS, RN, CGRN, CFER, a
direct access nurse at Advocate. "Patients don't have to start
drinking the bowel prep until 5:00 p.m. on Friday evening, so they
can remain on a clear liquid diet while at work, come home and
begin prepping."
Currently, only one of the hospital's physicians recognizes the
importance of scoping on Saturdays. He and 3 nurses begin pro-
cedures at 7 a.m. and work until about 20 patients have been
checked. Ms. Polakoff says requests for Saturday colonoscopies
are steadily increasing, so more of the hospital's GI docs might
soon have to change their weekend plans.
— Daniel Cook
Patients Love Saturday Colonoscopies
• ADDED AVAILABILITY Members of the endoscopy team at Advocate Good
Samaritan Hospital work on the weekend so patients don't have to take time
off to get screened.
Advocate
Good
Samaritan
Hospital
MEETING THE DEMAND