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IDEAS That Work
Practical pearls from your colleagues
PRE-OP CHECKLIST
Prepare for Patients Properly
K
nowing as much as you can about patients before they arrive
for surgery improves pre-op efficiencies and the quality of
care you provide. All the information you need to make sound
clinical decisions quickly is contained in patients' charts, if you take
the time to look them over closely.
I've developed a pre-op checklist to help me drill down into histories
and physicals and organize my thoughts instead of glossing over key
details while reviewing paperwork for the
On the Web
next day's cases. The checklist contains
Download Ms. Keller-Guglietta's
pre-op checklist at
www.outpatientsurgery.net/forms
basic pre-op information that must be
addressed, but I also note questions that need answering or clarifications that need addressing to help guide my interactions with patients.
For example, I'll make a note to check glucose levels of diabetics or
write down reminders when patients have latex allergies.
The information included on the checklist and noted in the margins
is what needs to be covered anyway, but thinking of questions or comments ahead of time and having them in writing at the bedside
ensures everything is double-checked before patients enter the OR.
Katie Keller-Guglietta, RN
Glen Burnie, Md.
1 6
Baltimore Washington Eye Center
kkellerguglietta@bweyecenter.com
O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | F E B R U A R Y 2013
