Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Patient satisfaction is priceless Charles Golden, MSN, CRNA, of Img Anesthesia Services in Nashville, Tenn., perhaps says it best: "A warm patient is a happy patient." Happy patients are good for business. Positive reviews of your facility could result. "A comfortable patient may give a good review," says Krystie Berberich, BSN, administrator at The Kidney & Hypertension Centers Lifeline Vascular Access Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. "An uncom- fortable patient is very likely to give a poor review of the facility." One respondent at a facility that warms all patients with a forced-air warming system says patient satis- faction scores for patient comfort throughout the sur- gical process have improved. The surveys also see fewer complaints of unmanaged pain. "There is a small cost per patient, which saves recovery time from hypothermia," another respon- dent notes. "The cost of unhappy, cold patients should be measurable." Above and beyond To say the least, the staff at Advanced Surgical Center leaves no patient warming box unchecked. Keeping patients warm and cozy is clearly a central component in the overall clinical strategy at the ASC in Duncanville, Texas. The forced-air warming system is turned on before the patients arrive. Socks, gowns and blan- kets 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 anesthesia 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 facilitates, 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 themselves if they need another procedure. "When I have a warm patient, they're not shiv- ering, 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 complications 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 recovery periods, and thus faster discharges. 3 0 • 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 Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN, CNOR

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