take a deeper dive to see if
there was an opportunity
to improve the way we
were positioning patients
for surgery based on cur-
rent clinical evidence.
There was a process in
place, but it was in need of
enhancement."
She decided to start by
focusing on standardizing
lateral positioning for
orthopedics. An extensive
review of literature and
guidelines followed.
Biweekly meetings were
held, bringing nurses and
surgeons together to work
on developing standard-
ized positioning protocols
— but they weren't the
only ones in attendance.
"It demands an interdis-
ciplinary effort," says Ms.
Rusch. "We made sure to
have representatives from
surgery, anesthesia, front-
line staff, care team lead-
ers and sponsors from the
leadership team."
4 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 • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
• VISUAL AIDS Staff at UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wis.,
refer to PowerPoint slides that show tips for commonly used positions.
UW
Health
University
Hospital
