8 • 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
Ideas Work
That
I
t's one thing to log and track laboratory speci-
mens and post their results in the patient's
chart. But that doesn't confirm that the order-
ing healthcare provider read the results and dis-
cussed them with the patient. Remember, if it
isn't documented, it didn't happen. To close the
loop, we provide the physicians who ordered the
specimen with a label that requires a signature
and date to confirm that he received the results
and discussed them with the patient. We request
they place the label on all specimen results and
forward them to us. If we receive a copy of the
results, we affix the label and forward it to the
office to complete and return.
Lori Pacheco, RN, CRNO
Cape Cod Eye Surgery & Laser Center
Sandwich, Mass.
lpacheco@eyeboston.com
Close the Pathology Loop
C
hildren at Roxana Cannon Arsht
Surgicenter in Wilmington, Del., were so
stressed saying goodbye to their parents
before heading to the operating room for dental
procedures that they sometimes needed oral pre-
medication to deal with the separation, says anes-
thesiologist Stephen R. Tanner, MD. Now it's all
smiles on the way to surgery since the center
bought child-size electric vehicles that the kids
ride in from the waiting room to the operating
room. Like magic, scenes of crying children and
parents turned into smiling parents taking photos
of happy kids in a white BMW convertible or a
blue Jeep tricked out with radios and flashing
lights down the center's hallway. It's worked so
well that the Christina Care Health System surgery
center recently added a firetruck and a black Jeep
to its fleet. More importantly, says Dr. Tanner, only
8% of pediatric patients require pre-operative seda-
tion, down from 28%. — Adam Taylor
KIDS DRIVE THEMSELVES
Turn Left at the OR
• CRUISING TO SURGERY A young patient drives himself to the operating room at Roxana
Cannon Arsht Surgicenter, with remote-controlled help from anesthesiologist Stephen R.
Tanner, MD.
Christiana
Care
Health
System
