Mary Wilson, BSN, RN, CNOR
STAFFING
The Simple Cure for Sluggish Patient Flow
We choreographed a brand-new routine for our pre-op nurses.
I
n our teaching
hospital, patients
used to come
into a single pre-op
area containing 10
beds before being
sent to one of 9
ORs. When patients
arrived at registra-
tion, we'd pull their
charts and place them on the pre-op desk. Nurses would grab the
charts and start preparing the patients for surgery on a first-come, first-
served basis. There was no organization to the flow and no method for
HELPFUL HANDOFFS Simple tweaks to staffing assignments will improve com-
munication between the OR and pre-op. The chart below shows how ORs and
pre-op beds are linked so nurses in both areas work together throughout the day.
O U T P AT 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 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
3 6
