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ment and the EMR, says Ms. Freeman.
To minimize discharge times — from the end of the procedure
(scope-out) to when the patient meets discharge criteria — give
patients water, not snacks or juice. "Give patients 15 minutes to
sleep and then have their ride come in the recovery room," says
Ms. Bedford.
You want patients to pass gas soon after the procedure, says Ms.
Freeman. "This reduces the chance of cramping or abdominal pain in
recovery," she says. "We often apply minimal abdominal pressure and
ask the patient to bear down to encourage passage of gas. We try to do
this before the family member enters the room as sometimes patients
are embarrassed."
To kick-start your day, take the first patients directly to the procedure room and bypass pre-op. "The nurses in the GI procedure rooms
will perform paperwork and start IVs," says Berry Sowell, CEO and
administrator of the Dothan (Ala.) Surgery Center. "This frees up preop space out of the gate and lets pre-op staff prep other patients." OSM
E-mail doconnor@outpatientsurgery.net.
F E B R U A R Y 2013 | 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
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