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refills rather than a typical prescription of 30 pills. This requires
the patient to check in with his physician before obtaining a new
prescription.
Once in the recovery room
In the PACU, our staff observes patients for signs of discom-
fort and encourages them to report pain accurately, as delaying
intervention may cause symptoms to increase and subsequently
increase the need for medication intervention and prolong recov-
ery room time. Our nurses and anesthesiologist consider the use
of adjunct medication therapies such as Benadryl and Demerol to
help with pain management. Dr. Raskin also recommends dis-
cussing at-home adjunct medications such as anti-inflammatories
and topical treatments to help them discontinue prescription
meds. While giving discharge instructions, we'll review pain med-
ication prescriptions and discuss who'll be helping them manage
their pain after discharge. We'll document if patients request that
we give their caregiver or family member their filled scripts for
handling.
At the patient's request, we allow supportive visitors in the
recovery room. This stems from our pre-op discussion with the
patient regarding with whom we should speak and let visit. Staff
should be aware of visitors with whom the patient may negative-
ly interact and avoid bringing them into the recovery room. This
may include accompanying friends, parents or even spouses.
For overly concerned patients, Dr. Raskin advises discussing
home health options, short-term recovery facilities or even the
return to a treatment facility for short-term in-patient monitoring
after surgery. These facilities are well-equipped to manage the
patient's addiction recovery process, as well as their post-op pain
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