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What Snacks Do You Offer Patients?
FUEL UP
Juice and crackers are the most popular post-op snacks, according to our reader survey.
What snacks do you serve
your patients in post-op?
Here's a rundown, based
on our survey of nearly 200 surgical facilities. Respondents could check all that applied.
• Juice 81.3%
• Coffee or tea 50.3%
• Crackers 78.1%
• Popsicles 40.6%
• Water 77.0%
• Muffins 9.1%
• Soda 63.6%
"If they are coffee drinkers, give them coffee," says a facility manager.
A hospital administrator reports that she offers patients lunch trays "if they're here over the noon hour, along with a tray for a family member." Her patients
also have a choice of white or wheat toast, hot or cold cereal, and soups.
Another hospital administrator says a carbonated drink or warm tea helps with laparoscopic surgeries. "For local anesthesia," she says, we've started giving a small plate of fresh fruits or small bowl of chicken soup."
The Prairie du Chien (Wisc.) Memorial Hospital offers full meals, unless otherwise ordered by surgeon, says Jayne Prew, RN.
Not all surgical facilities offer patients refreshments. "I don't offer water or ice very often. Their stay is so short that it makes them nauseated if they
start pounding fluids immediately," says Stormi Frusetta, RN, BS, the nurse
administrator of the North Scottsdale (Ariz.) Outpatient Surgery Center. "As soon as the patient is extubated and/or awake and alert, I raise the head of their bed up. This seems to help lessen the shock of getting out of bed and dressed. Patients tend to get nauseated if they remain flat their entire stay in PACU."
— Dan O'Connor
