mal life activities soon thereafter.
Through last July, surgeons at the
St. Cloud Surgical Center, where Dr.
Nessler does many of his joint
replacements, had performed 300
total knees and 490 unicompartmen-
tal-knees. All but 6 of the patients
went home on the day of surgery
thanks to a team-wide approach to
multifaceted patient care that begins
long before the day of surgery and
extends several months into recov-
ery.
Set expectations
Patients scheduled for surgery at
the St. Cloud Surgical Center are strongly encouraged to attend a
nurse-run educational seminar held at the facility. It's an opportunity
to familiarize themselves with the center, meet the staff who'll be tak-
ing care of them and go over care instructions in a relaxed and friend-
ly atmosphere.
The educational session prepares patients for the day of surgery and,
perhaps more importantly, creates a mindset that same-day discharge is
possible as long as they buy into the facility's extensive care plan that's
designed for successful recoveries.
Kari Scholz, RN, BSN, CAPA, quality improvement and PACU man-
ager at St. Cloud Surgical Center, helps to ensure patients have the
equipment they'll need to move around and recover at home, includ-
ing a walker and raised toilet seat. They tell patients to remove trip-
ping hazards from walking pathways, teach them how to navigate
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 • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
• CUTTING GUIDE Robotic-assisted surgery contributes to
faster and less painful recoveries.
