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Have a tech call patients the day before and try to get all their information over the phone. Having your charts prepared a day in advance
is a real time-saver on the day of the procedure, says Ms. Freeman.
Pre-procedure phone calls also add a personal touch to the patient
experience and decrease patient anxiety, says Mr. Collins. These calls
can also prevent surprises on the day of the procedure. Double-check
that necessary lab testing is complete, and remind patients about
bowel prep compliance, NPO status, and taking their diabetic, heart
and blood pressure meds before procedures. Finally, be sure to confirm that patients will have a driver to take him home when discharged.
To increase the unit's efficiency on the day of the procedure, you
can complete many activities when a procedure is scheduled, says Mr.
Collins, including patient education about the procedure, bowel
preparation instructions, review of current medications (such as anticoagulants and anti-diabetic agents), need for antibiotics or lab work
before the procedure, and sedation history. "Obtaining this information will assist in the reduction of cancelled or delayed procedures,"
he says.
At the Harbin Clinic Endoscopy Center, the average admission time
is 12 minutes. Each of the 2 doctors has an admission nurse assigned
to him. Plus, there's a floating admitting nurse moving in and out of
the 4 admission/pre-op rooms. This nurse turns the rooms over and
starts the IVs while the admission nurses focus on charting, assess6 2
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
