Ideas That Work: Food For Thought

Our surgery center doesn’t have a cafeteria, so family members who were waiting for their loved ones in surgery used to leave if they wanted a quick bite to eat. When surgeons would head out to the waiting room to give updates on patients’ surgeries, family members wouldn’t always be there to hear the news. To keep family members happy and present, we installed a coffeemaker in the waiting room and keep a snack basket filled with treats. Staff members take turns going to local wholesale stores to buy multipacks of crackers, cookies and little cupcakes. When supplies are low, we send out an email to request that someone refills the basket. Sharing the nominal cost to keep snacks on hand is a small price to pay for increasing the satisfaction of our patients’ family members — they appreciate the personal touch of staff supplying the snacks for them — and helping to ensure they’re on site when surgeons need to talk to them.

Quanda Custis-Bozman, RN, MSN, CNOR, RNFA
Beebe Outpatient Surgery Center
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
[email protected]