patients text message
reminders about their report
time on the day of surgery,
information about NPO (some
patients are permitted to
drink clear liquids after mid-
night based on pathways set
up for specific procedures),
arrival time on the day of sur-
gery — really any type of
communication staff wants to
relay to patients.
• Patient-pleasing pre-
views. When Reading
Hospital SurgiCenter first
opened, the staff invited chil-
dren who were scheduled for
surgery to come in for an after-hours tour of the entire facility with
the aim of lessening some of the anxiety they might be feeling about
the unknown. Realizing its difficult for parents to take time off from
work or pull their kids out of school, the facility produced a video
tour of the facility featuring a nurse and a staff member's child
(osmag.net/2RkMgB). The video, a huge hit with parents, is now
available in an adult version and is now available online and patients
receive a link to it in one of the series of texts they automatically
receive before surgery.
Optimized nutrition
Patients who eat right in the weeks leading up to surgery and down
carb-rich drinks up to 2 hours before procedures are primed for excel-
6 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 • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
• SHOWER GIFT Give patients detailed directions and the supplies
they need to properly perform pre-op bathing.
