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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2 8 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 HONORABLE MENTION Staff at the AUA Surgical Center in Amarillo, Texas, don't rely on trinkets or tricks to make sure patients leave healthy and happy. They educate patients, listen to their concerns and collabo- rate as a team to foster a culture of caring. • Educate. The cen- ter's staff ensures patients fully realize what to expect during and after their surgeries. "Many patients think they're going to feel awe- some as soon as they get out of surgery, which isn't realistic," says Administrator Adam Johnson, RN. "We explain that they can't expect zero pain." Removing that surprise improves their mindset during recovery. • Listen. The pre-op staff explains proce- dures to patients and sets aside enough time to listen to their concerns and to answer their questions. Nurses relay any issues to sur- geons, who listen and adjust their care plan as needed. The staff also makes sure patients clearly under- stand discharge instructions during fol- low-up phone calls. • Collaborate. Leadership makes it clear that meaningful pre-op conversations with patients — even if they're lengthy — are valued more than hitting efficiency metrics. The center includes the time a patient spends in pre- op and the PACU when chronicling their case times to manage administrative tendencies that shorten lengths of stay. "This focus on the fundamentals of care allows patients to leave as satisfied customers who will seek us out again if the need arises or recommend us to others in the community," says Mr. Johnson. "A gift card to a restaurant can't do that." — Adam Taylor BEDSIDE MANNERS The staff at AUA Surgical Center focus on the basics to improve patient care. Personal Connections Are Better Than Gift Cards AUA Surgical Center there was no time to get electronic tablets. The remainder served as patient escorts." The hospital's entrance was a chaotic place as the valet service was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, so the new teams wound up doing much more than greeting surgery cases. Vehicles arrived with people looking for the ER or for non- emergency appointments. "We were triaging cars to find the surgery patients," says Ms. Morris. Some of the arrivals were heart or cancer patients who were scheduled for serious surgeries. "Looking at the faces of some of the families in the car, it was clear what they were thinking, 'I might never see my loved one again. We might be saying goodbye right here,'" says Ms. Morris. The greeter acted as the team leader who reviewed patient information, provided updates about COVID-19 protocols, collected contact num- bers from family members, asked about patients' mobility levels and helped patients don a mask, says Carolyn Grous, RN, MSN, CNOR, HUP's direc- tor of perioperative services – compliance. Family members often had helpful information about their loved ones' previous surgeries or ques- tions about whether daily medications might inter- act badly with the anesthesia their relative was about to receive. The scribes wrote those concerns down and got them to the OR team. The escorts guided patients to the surgery floor. Some patients, young and old, don't think clearly when they arrive for surgery due to nerves and anx- iety. They often won't speak up and rely on loved PATIENT SATISFACTION