M A Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 3
care of other post-op basics, making sure that every patient gets
the same discharge information the same way. If your patient
population is bilingual, you can record versions in a second lan-
guage as well. Then you can spend post-op time reviewing case-
specific instructions.
• Customized to the case. You'll always
send patients home with printed post-op
care instructions, of course, but make
sure those guidelines are easy to under-
stand and directly relevant to their cases.
If you create a library of customizable,
printable instructions based on specific procedures and sur-
geons' preferences on your facility's intranet, you'll always be
able to print off a clean page of useful information for patients
instead of handing them a faded copy of a copy of outdated, one-
size-fits-all directions.
• Make it visible. To prevent post-op care
instructions from getting lost among all the
other paperwork that you give patients at dis-
charge, and that they may have piled up at
home, print the guidelines on colored paper or
tuck them into a colored folder. They'll stand
out, even in a stack of other documents.
Share your great idea for saving time or money at ideas@outpatientsurgery.net.
