Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Snuffing Out Surgical Smoke - December 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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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me something to drink? Put aside your misconceptions and check out what one flight attendant, Krisztina, can teach us about caring for patients. She quickly put the passengers at ease. As I got on the plane, Krisztina complimented me on my necklace and welcomed me aboard. I watched her do something similar as each passenger boarded the plane. Most veteran fliers are used to the routine of flying and even though they sleep through the safety announcements, we all know something could go wrong. I'm not afraid of flying and never have been. But I'm not a fan of being on the other side of the operating room table as a patient. We've all heard the saying, "It's minor surgery until it's on you." I can tell you from my perspective, it's never minor surgery and I'm looking for someone to show they understand that. Even though it's routine to you as the nurse, it's anything but routine to me as the patient. As nurses, our patients and family members rely on us to put them at ease and to trust that we're going to take great care of them. Having been a patient (and watched my husband as the family mem- ber), I know how frightened patients can be. Putting them and their family members at ease can make the difference between a good experience and a bad one. She smiled with her eyes. It's easy to tell when someone is gen- uine. Body language experts tell us that when someone is gen- uinely smiling, the areas around their eyes will crinkle (think Santa and the twinkle in his eye). I once had a boss who would make a statement and then smile — with her mouth only. Her theory was that even a fake smile would make the message easier to digest. The flight attendant didn't have 1 2 Business Advisor BA 2 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

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