Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Running on Empty - Outpatient Surgery Magazine - August 2019

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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1 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 • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 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 W e hang an image of the American flag on the OR door to alert the surgical team that the patient is a combat veteran who suffers from post-traumat- ic stress disorder (PTSD). These patients might react vio- lently to sudden sound, light or unfamiliar environmental changes, and could place themselves and our caregivers in harm's way. The flag reminds the entire perioperative team, from admission to discharge, to focus on creating a supportive, quiet environment. That's Eric Gonzales, CST, one of our surgical technologists, in the photo. Eric, who was awarded a Purple Heart while serving on the U.S. Army Forward Surgical Team, came up with this idea. Many active and retired military veterans call the Tri-Cities region home in southeast Washington. Eric and other military veterans in our depart- ment introduce themselves and ask to be assigned to PTSD sufferers. They offer these patients the support that only a fellow veteran could. Roshelle Satterthwait, RN, MHSA, CNOR, CENP Kadlec Regional Medical Center Richland, Wash. roshelle.satterthwait@kadlec.org • HONOR AMERICA Eric Gonzales, CST, came up with the idea to hang a flag on the OR door to let the surgical team know that the patient is a combat veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Protect and Care for Combat Veterans Kadlec Regional Medical Center

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