Extended post-op monitoring
Soon after surgery, perform another skin assessment and compare it
to the pre-op assessment. You're not done yet. Because symptoms
might not appear for several days after surgery, extended post-op
monitoring is vital. Instruct patients about what to look for, and what
to report. During post-op follow-up calls, always ask patients about
their skin.
When a pressure injury occurs, notify all staff. Awareness can lead
to improvements in detection and more vigilant prevention. There's a
plethora of education material, guidelines and research on pressure
injuries. Your perioperative staff should receive pressure injury educa-
tion when they join your facility, and then at least every year there-
after.
OSM
5 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 1 9
Ms. Scott (scotttriggers@gmail.com) is CEO of Scott Triggers, and serves as
patient safety/quality improvement educator at the University of Tennessee
Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Office of Graduate Medical Education
in Memphis.
