room or beeping a pager like at a restaurant.
• What's cooking? Here's a fun idea: Whenever you
see cookbooks at a yard sale or on a store's discount
table, pick up a couple for your waiting room.
Patients on NPO orders won't like the appetizing
reading, but it'll likely keep their escorts more occupied than clock-watching,
wrinkled magazines and TV talk does. Maybe even leave little baskets of pens
and recipe cards printed with your facility's name and logo on them, so they
can copy down the recipes they want to try.
• Access authorized. When patients
register at the front desk, wristband their family members or escorts as well
to indicate that they're
authorized to accompany
the patients before and
after surgery. Unmarked,
colored bands will help
you to identify them, and
ensure patient safety, if
they should leave your
facility while they're wait-
ing. When they return,
showing their wristbands
will quickly and conve-
niently gain them access
to PACU.
J U N E 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 9
Share your great idea for saving time
or money
at ideas@outpatientsurgery.net.
