1 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
Ideas Work
That
Y
ou want patients to show
up fully informed and in
compliance with pre-surgi-
cal instructions. But handing
patients a giant folder overflowing
with instructions and forms is a
proven way to overwhelm folks to
the point of inertia. Instead of
bombarding patients with multiple
forms and documents, look for
ways to simplify and streamline.
That's how we hit on the idea for our "Pre-Surgery Instruction Guide."
It's a 20-page, easy-to-follow booklet — also available in digital form on
our website (osmag.net/YdU7Dv) — that covers everything patients
need to know for their surgery as well as all the forms they'll have to
read and sign acknowledgment of once they get to our facility.
The guide (created in-house) is distributed by physicians' offices
during pre-op assessments, and it has greatly improved patients'
compliance with our pre-surgical instructions. Plus, thanks to the
inclusion of the forms in the guidebook, we've been able to stream-
line the patient registration process, reducing the number of signa-
tures we need from 12 to just one. We've also cut around 20 minutes
off the time we spend with patients on the day of surgery going over
essential information about their care. That 20 extra minutes per
patient has done wonders for our efficiency.
Stephanie Conquest, RN, CAIP
Physicians Surgery Center
VISUAL AID
Detailed Guidebook Prepares Patients for Surgery
• ONE-STOP SHOP A staff member (right) at Physicians Surgery
Center explains its Pre-Surgery Instruction Guide, a document
covering everything patients need to know about their procedure.
Physicians
Surgery
Center
Jackson, Tenn.
sconquest@pscjackson.com
