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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 | 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
that we let the prep dry for a minimum of 3 minutes. This protects
your patients, lets the prep work most effectively and minimizes the
risk of igniting alcohol-based preps during surgery. Same goes for sur-
face disinfection: Wipe the area with your preferred disinfectant and
let it remains visibly wet for the recommended kill time by applying
the solution or using more wipes as needed.
Thomas Durick, MD
Bay Surgery Center
Oakland, Calif.
tdurick@baysurgerycenter.com
W A I T I N G G A M E
Dealing With Delays
F
or patients, nothing's
worse than an inter-
minable wait in pre-op.
To reduce complaints about long
waits, check in on patients parked
in pre-op due to a backed-up
schedule or a late physician.
Every 30 minutes, a patient care
technician or RN rounds each
pre-operative bay to check and
see if patients need anything,
such as a warm blanket, a maga-
zine or a bathroom break. We
honestly let patients and family
members know the cause of the
delay and the approximate start
time of their surgery. After round-
ing, we initial the box on the
patient-rounding log. Patients
appreciate knowing why they're
waiting and that we haven't for-
gotten about them. Chatting with
them for a minute eases their
frustration.
Annamarie York, MBA
Hoffman Estates (Ill.) Surgery Center
acyork@hesc1555.com
z NOT FORGOTTEN The simple act of
checking in on patients in pre-op whose
cases are delayed goes a long way.