one part of the equation. You still need to receive high marks on every
aspect of the care you provide. Here are some of the personal touches
that make Lakeland one of this year's award-winning facilities.
• Child-friendly options. Near one end of its pre-op area, Lakeland
has a designated area for children who are awaiting surgery, which
works wonders for both the kids and their parents. The room has a
plastic Fisher-Price table, a toy chest and some children's books.
Pediatric patients are also given a soft toy, so they don't bring their
own toys into the OR, and they're awarded a certificate for being
brave and doing well following their procedure. Lakeland also has
iPads with a Hulu subscription available (for all pediatric and adult
patients) so children don't waste one of the most critical commodities
for modern parents: cellular data.
• Aromatherapy. Instead of automatically using an IV or oral
antiemetic any time a patient is prone to PONV, Lakeland introduced
aromatherapy in the PACU. "We'll ask the patient, 'Would you like to
try some aromatherapy?'" says Ms. Williams. "Then we give them a
choice of different scents like lavender or peppermint or orange."
Lakeland uses bottles of aromatherapy oils, and dips the oils onto cot-
ton balls, which are kept in a little cloth bag that's pinned to the
patient's gown. Patients can then pull up the bags to their noses and
sniff the oil whenever they feel a bit nauseous.
But patients aren't the only ones who benefit from the use of aro-
matherapy. In the busy GI unit, there's an aromatherapy machine at
the nurses' station that dispenses a calming lavender scent. The logic
behind the staff-centered aromatherapy: The calmer the staff, the
more satisfied the patients.
• Personal outreach. Every facility is bound to have at least a few
patients who aren't 100% satisfied with their overall experience.
Lakeland targets this faction with personal outreach from high-level
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