arrive. Socks, gowns and blankets are warmed. But wait, there's
more. The staff also warms the IV fluids. And by placing the patient
prep and the blood pressure cuffs atop the forced-air system before
procedures, they are warm as well when they touch the patients'
skin. The staff even places thick, warm, very popular expensive gel
packs under the patients' feet. (More on those later.)
"I'm a really big advocate of patient comfort," says Darleneya
Robinson, RN, the facility's nursing director of surgical and anesthe-
sia services. "We keep them warm for better outcomes, but just the
fact that they're warm also increases overall patient satisfaction."
In addition to all of the clinical advantages patient warming facili-
tates, Ms. Robinson agrees that there is a clear economic benefit to
preventing hypothermia. She adds that satisfied patients are also more
likely to refer friends and loved ones to your facility, or return them-
selves if they need another procedure.
"When I have a warm patient, they're not shivering, which means
their discharge is going to be facilitated better and sooner," says
Ms. Robinson. "If they're shivering, I'm holding on to my patients
longer. And if I'm holding on to my patients, that means I'm holding
on to my nurses, which can be anywhere from $400 to $700 for that
extra time."
Clinical benefits aplenty
The clinical benefits of patient warming are well known: 84% of the
survey's respondents said they warm patients to prevent complica-
tions from hypothermia, and 80% do it because it makes patients less
anxious and more comfortable. Meanwhile, 68% say fewer patients
shiver when warmed, and 67% say warming produces shorter recov-
ery periods, and thus faster discharges.
More than half said a reduction in infections was why they warm, while
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