4 6
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 | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Do you instruct patients to wash their entire bodies, or just their sur-
gical sites?
• Their entire bodies: 87.6%
• Just their surgical sites: 12.4%
Because they take place outside of the perioperative environment,
pre-op baths and showers rely on patients' following to the letter the
instructions that your team has standardized. "Be sure to give written
instructions as well as oral ones," says Jane Stobinski, RN, director of
nursing at Cottonwood (Ariz.) Day Surgery, "and have the patient
repeat them back."
Pend Oreille Surgery Center in Ponderay, Idaho, posts directions on
the facility's website for reference anytime, says Kris Sabo, RN, execu-
tive director.
Patients can wash with antiseptic products from the neck down, as long
as they avoid their genital areas. If you instruct them to wash just the sur-
gical site, visual aids may come in handy. "Give patients written instruc-
tions with pictures as to where to clean," says Rachelle Cho, RN, BSN,
director of surgical services for Corona (Calif.) Regional Medical Center.
You'll also want them to stay clean after they've washed. "We ask
that they sleep on clean linens and wear clean pajamas or gowns,"
says Eloise Whitton, BSN, RN, CNOR, manager of surgical services at
Higgins General Hospital in Bremen, Ga.
Do you remind patients to pre-op bathe or
shower via text messages, e-mails or phone calls?
• Yes: 34.9% • No: 65.1%
Roughly two-thirds of respondents consider early instructions during
P R E - O P B A T H I N G
