N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 5
B
ariatric patients
typically aren't
thirsty after sur-
gery, but they must drink
during the initial recovery
phase to prevent dehydra-
tion. Our staff wasn't cer-
tain that patients were
drinking the intended goal
of 48 ounces of water dur-
ing each of the first 2 post-
op days, but our nurses
came up with a great idea
to know how much water
patients have consumed.
They set aside 12 8-oz.
water bottles for each patient and numbered the caps from 1 to 12
with a permanent marker. Patients must drink bottles 1-6 on post-op
day 1 and bottles 7-12 on day 2. By numbering the bottle caps, our
nurses know for certain that our patients are well hydrated.
Peggy Lennon, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Greenwich (Conn.) Hospital
margaret.lennon@greenwichhospital.org
Ensure Post-op Patients Stay Hydrated
• THIRST QUENCHER Cheryl Williams, RD (left), bariatric surgery pro-
gram coordinator, and Peggy Martino, RN, MSN, program director of surgi-
cal services, developed a novel approach to monitor patients' water intake.
DRINK UP
Greenwich
Hospital
