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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 | J U N E 2 0 1 4
IDEAS
That Work
W
e convey our
patients' pre-op sta-
tus by attaching dif-
ferent colored binder clips on
their curtains. We almost never
have cancellations, because
our screenings are very thor-
ough, but sometimes things
come up at the last moment —
like a problem with the IV or a
high glucose reading. So we
put red clips on the curtains of
patients who have issues that
need to be addressed. When
they're good to go, a gold clip
on the curtain means that
patient is ready to be seen by the anesthesia provider. A blue clip
means the surgeon has seen the patient. And when everything is
done and the patient is ready for surgery, we show that with a green
clip. It's a great and inexpensive way to communicate and to ensure
great care. I got this idea from an ASC I visited as a surveyor — the
PCET Surgery Center in Knoxville, Tenn. — and liked it so much,
we now use the same procedure.
Sandy Berreth, RN, MS, CASC
Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center
Baxter, Minn.
sberreth@brainerdlakessc.com
COLOR CODING
Binder Clips on Curtains Convey A Lot
BEHIND THE CURTAIN We know what we'll
find based on the color of the clip attached.
Sandy
Berreth,
RN,
MS,
CASC
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