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P A T I E N T
W A R M I N G
Warming to Faster
Patient Discharges
WHY WARMING MATTERS Maintaining a
normal body temperature plays a part in
faster recoveries and timely discharges.
warmed patients reach
the recovery room,
they're comfortable.
They're ready to go home.
Here are 5 reasons why
actively warming patients
contributes to faster discharges.
1
Less stress,
pain and shivering
Recent research demonstrates that warming a
patient pre-operatively
reduces anxiety (AORN
Journal. 2006;84(3):427448), which can reduce
concerns about expected
pain, anesthesia, being
immobilized and the surgery itself.
Spending less time in recovery is an
"I have seen the differoften-overlooked benefit of actively warming
ence warming a patient
patients before, during and after surgery.
can make in all phases of
Gail O. Guterl | Contributing Editor
S
surgery," says Shari
tudies have shown that
Burns, EdD, MSN, CRNA, program
warmed patients are more like-
director and an associate professor of
ly to be discharged on time.
the nurse anesthesia program at
Why is this? Primarily because when
4
SUPPLEMENT
Midwestern University in Glendale,
TO
O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E | J U LY 2013