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IDEAS That Work
ROUTINE REMINDER
Keep Tabs On Labs
If a patient on the day's surgery schedule has labs that have been ordered and are pending, the admitting nurse writes this up on the whiteboard. These notes serve as visual reminders to patient transporters, the CNAs who take patients to the pre-surgical holding area 30 minutes before they're wheeled into the OR. The transporters will ask the charge nurse if the results are available at that time. If they are, we print them immediately and add them to the chart. If they're not, there's still 30 minutes to get them. The transporter will be sure to alert the case's circulator or the pre-surgical holding nurse, which can
cut down on start-time delays.
ON BOARD Jessica Craig, RN, BSN, makes a note of pending labs.
Stephanie Divino, RN, BSN
Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
Idaho Falls, Idaho
stephanie.divino@hcahealthcare.com
