rarely able to remember their physicians' names or identify their
roles, which can increase anxiety. To help with this, Parkview
SurgeryONE has begun using whiteboards in their pre-op bays, which
display the names — or, in some cases, nicknames — of the relevant
nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse
anesthetists. This way, patients feel more connected, and more com-
fortable asking questions.
• Keep them warm. The more nervous patients are, the colder their
extremities will be. As part of the fight-or-flight response, anxiety redi-
rects blood flow from the hands and feet to the body's major organs.
For this reason, staff at the Casper (Wy.) Surgical Center make sure to
closely monitor the temperature of the pre-op area. They also offer
100% cotton, heated blankets to patients as they wait. "We'll put as
many as 3 or 4 on one person, or however many it takes to make them
comfortable," says Deb Ukele, RN, BSN, the director of nursing. "We
have a big ottoman — about 6 feet by 3 feet — and sometimes they'll
curl up on that and go to sleep until it's time for surgery. The more
relaxed they are, the easier they'll go under with anesthesia."
• Remember the family. The information patients receive before
surgery can be overwhelming — while they're worried about making
it through their procedure without complications, they're also sup-
posed to internalize post-op instructions, as well as information about
rehab programs and medication schedules. Having a loved one along
during pre-op consults for support — and to serve as a second set of
ears — can be beneficial.
At Monterey Peninsula Surgery Centers (MPSC) in California, one of
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 5
ASCQR is voluntary in 2017, but mandatory beginning in 2018, says
ASCA. Medicare has yet to indicate whether it will ever require ASCs
to attain certain scores on these surveys. — Dan O'Connor
