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Every protocol change is ultimate-
ly a communication issue, and
effective communication is rarely
a simple process. What gets
through to one group is often inef-
fective or confusing for another.
Whenever an initiative involves a multidisciplinary
team, you often need to deliver the message in mul-
tiple ways (face to face, email, real-time education
and follow-up training when an issue arises).
We did that, but no matter how comprehensive
our communication was, issues still cropped up.
For instance, new pre-op RNs often weren't notified
of the protocol. Or they were, but didn't retain the
information after orientation. Our pre-op also has
several protocols for other interventions (SCD
application, IV starts, etc). That's why we developed
a quick and easy algorithm to reference whenever
there was a question as to whether a patient would
be actively warmed before surgery.
The algorithm uses medical history (for example,
history of neuromuscular conditions such as cere-
bral palsy or spastic quadriplegia), patient BMI and
length of surgery (less than or more than two hours)
to help providers determine if the patient should be
prewarmed. For instance, after the initial medical
history question, patients are grouped according to
BMI. Our team actively warms patients with BMIs
less than 25 undergoing surgery lasting longer than
two hours. We chose the less-than-25-BMI threshold
to ensure we don't actively warm overweight or
obese patients, who are at less risk of becoming
F
E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 4 3
Surgical Drapes with Active Warming
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• Constant and complete patient warming
• Reduced cross contamination through a
100% disposable approach
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N E W T E C H N O L O G Y
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• Elimination of forced circulating air
• No capital equipment investments for patient warming
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Every policy change is ultimately a
communication issue, and effective
communication is rarely a simple process.
