Ideas Work
P r a c t i c a l p e a r l s f r o m y o u r c o l l e a g u e s
That
T
o help ease pre-op anxiety, patients that are able can choose
to walk into the OR rather than looking at the ceiling while
being wheeled in. We've found that they experience less anxi-
ety and feel more in control in a vulnerable situation when they
enter the OR on their own two feet. A nurse assesses the patient and
puts a green "walking" sign on her chart if she's a candidate to walk.
The OR nurse then takes the 4 x 11 inch green paper sign and tapes
it on the outside of the OR door, so that the environmental staff can
retrieve the stretcher and leave it outside the OR to transport the
patient back to the recovery room after surgery.
Bonnie Weinberg, MSN, RN, CNOR
Valley Health System
WHY LOOK AT THE CEILING?
Walking into the OR Helps Reduce Anxiety
Valley
Health
System
Ridgewood, N.J.
bweinbe@valleyhealth.com
