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patients' pain seemed most under control. Those are sure signs that a provider
understands ambulatory efficiency.
They're team players
With the concept of the perioperative surgical home (see "A New Way to
Manage Post-op Pain" on p. 7), the anesthesia community has grasped the idea
that teamwork matters. Do your providers understand that their performance
affects every other person on the team, that their role is no more and no less
critical than that of every other player? Do they leave their egos at home? Here's
an enlightening question to ask an anesthesia provider: In what way does the
circulator or tech help you do your job better? (Also, how do you help them do
their jobs better?) If he doesn't have an answer, he may not be looking beyond
their own patient care silo.
They help you stay on track
Anesthesia providers have many ways to help ensure on-time starts and
swift room turnovers. For example, regional blocks are best administered out-
side the OR, before the team is ready to begin a case. Providers who vigilantly
monitor anesthesia levels toward the end of a procedure can help patients mobi-
lize faster. And the true team players don't think it's beneath them to lend nurses
and techs a hand by wiping down tables, drawing up local anesthetics for the
next case or transporting patents to the PACU.
They educate your patients
One aspect of outpatient surgery that's occasionally glossed over is that we're
essentially handing off a share of the post-op care to patients and their family
members, who don't know all the details of follow-up care and will need thorough
education in order to assume the role of caregiver. That's why anything an anesthe-
sia provider can do to confirm the accuracy of patients' self-reported medical histo-
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