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OR Excellence Awards - September 2020 - 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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well as one less variable that could delay cases. "When patients arrive in the OR, we can start the procedure instead of placing the block," comments Ms. Ahsanov, who says that's provided a significant boost to case efficiencies. Giving the block a "head start" before the patient enters the OR is highly valuable, agrees MEETH anesthesiologist Paul Alfano, MD. "If we place the block in the OR, we have just a couple minutes before the start of surgery. In the past, because of time pressures, the block wouldn't have enough time to take effect for many patients, so oftentimes we were required to administer either very deep sedation at the beginning of the surgery or general anesthesia. It wasn't until postoperatively when we found out if the block was really working." With blocks now placed in PACU, usually about a half-hour before procedures, Dr. Alfano reports a very high success rate. "We've been able to adminis- ter light sedation to many of the patients, or even eliminate general anesthesia altogether, because the block is working really well," says Dr. Alfano, "The program has allowed us to give less anesthetic med- ication in the OR." An additional key to the program's success is patient education and communication. Because of 3 6 • 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 Compassionate Care for Cancer Patients Recovering from the pain of surgery is something every patient faces, and for many years the pre- scribed treatment was based entirely on medications and phys- ical therapy. The staff at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., understands their special class of patients could use even more help coping with their surgery and their cancer at the same time. That addi- tional help comes in the form of mindful- ness and meditation. The center is always seeking to implement evidence-based complementary care during the short interactions staff have with each patient in order to give them tools that support their brave fight against cancer, according to Angela M. Ellis, MSN, RN, CNOR, perioperative clinical specialist at Moffitt. In Moffitt's interventional pain suites, for example, Manager Valerie Hodges led a music therapy project during which patients listened to their music genre of choice. The patients required less moderate sedation and took less time getting comfortable for their procedures. Integrative medicine experts created sur- gery-specific guided imagery to minimize patients' experience of pain and to offer emo- tional support for staff who are navigating pandemic-related stressors. The custom guided imagery was designed, delivered and voiced by Sharen Lock, MS, C-IAYT, patient wellness coordinator and yoga therapist in Moffitt's integrative medicine department. The 15-minute "Relaxation & Imagery for Surgery & Recovery" video (osmag.net/v6UsTB) is gifted to patients as part of Moffitt's mindfulness pain control approach. — Joe Paone PAIN TABLET Project leader Paige Merchant, BSN, RN, shows and explains the Moffitt Cancer Center's unique guided imagery video. Angela M. Ellis, MSN, RN, CNOR PAIN CONTROL

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