STAFFING
Before implementing the new system, some nurses would get 10
patients ready in the morning, while others would prep only a couple;
there was no way to monitor and record daily workloads. We can now
see how hard nurses are working and rotate assignments throughout
the week to even out the workload.
• Seamless communication.
When questions about a patient's history or
pre-procedure care arise in the OR, there's nothing more frustrating than
calling out to pre-op and waiting 5 minutes until the right nurse is locat-
ed. The new process has eliminated that hassle because the surgical
nurses know exactly whom to call to discuss the care of a specific
patient.
You can fix most issues that impact patient flow if you know about
them. Nurses in the ORs and at the corresponding pre-op beds now
develop a rhythm and rapport throughout the day, which moves
patients along more smoothly. For example, patients aren't always
compliant with pre-op directives or might present with unforeseen
issues that need to be addressed before surgery can commence.
Those issues used to be communicated inefficiently and sporadically.
Now, with nurses in the ORs and pre-op area in constant communica-
tion, they can react to unforeseen glitches (or efficiencies, for that
matter) related to the care of their patients and adjust the surgical
schedule on the fly.
• Improved patient safety.
Patient handoffs mean more. It's not that
handoffs weren't occurring or weren't effective before, but now the 2
nurses communicating during the transfer of care are directly
involved in prepping the patient for surgery and have ownership in
the case outcome. They're meeting with firsthand knowledge of what
the patient needs and how the case should progress. There's meaning
behind the words that appear in the patient's chart.
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