Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Say Yes to Total Hips - March 2014 - 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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SAFETY 3 6 O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2 0 1 4 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 5 OSE_1403_part1_Layout 1 3/5/14 11:29 AM Page 36

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