Outfitting for the Outpatient Ortho Boom
Between aging Baby Boomers’ growing needs and a strong same-day preference among patients and insurers, the demand for outpatient orthopedic procedures like total knees and...
This website uses cookies. to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking “Accept & Close”, you consent to our use of cookies. Read our Privacy Policy to learn more.
By: Jeffrey Weertman
Published: 10/10/2007
Most patients think they know what their surgery will be like. For example, they may expect to be put asleep for a procedure that only requires a local anesthetic and then be surprised that they're fully conscious the whole time. It's our job as anesthesia professionals to help them understand what they will or won't see, smell, hear or feel. But it seems like too often we fail at this, and our patients end up dissatisfied with their anesthesia experience as a result - something their surgeons, you, and their friends and family may hear about. Here's some advice on how to ensure that you meet your patients' expectations about anesthesia.
Quality communication means quality time
During our training, we learned that a good patient- family relationship is essential for a satisfying and successful patient anesthetic experience. But we usually have very little time to build a rapport with patients or their families. Why? Time constraints before surgery owing to the constant pressure to turn rooms over quicker. Even though we don't always realize it, we spend less time talking to our patients, answering their questions and relieving their fears than we used to. We also may unconsciously diminish the importance of patient-family relations in the name of speed and efficiency. Meanwhile, the patient is left with vague views of his anesthetic plan, and expectations take over.
The key is to have quality communication with the patient before surgery. Here are four things you can do to help ensure patients' expectations are realistic before the procedure.
Bad news travels fast
This combination of events is a great way to help patients get what they expect. They'll often be satisfied with their surgical and anesthetic experiences. We've seen positive results in both our post-op surveys and in the form of oral remarks from patients to the surgeon.
However you apply these four tips to your facility, remember that we as a profession must continually strive to communicate well with our patients. We need to adapt to the demands of efficiency as well as find better ways to communicate with the patient about his anesthetic. Relieving patient anxiety and setting realistic anesthetic expectations go a long way toward obtaining patient satisfaction.
Between aging Baby Boomers’ growing needs and a strong same-day preference among patients and insurers, the demand for outpatient orthopedic procedures like total knees and...
Launching a new ASC requires deft coordination among a variety of partners. No matter how specific your circumstances or ambitions may be, the key to success for any ASC project is...
Few surgical leaders will argue that an integrated OR is a more efficient OR. They may, however, split hairs over what actually constitutes an integrated OR in the first place....