Ideas That Work: Ask Open-Ended Questions in Pre-op

Patients who are being prepped for surgery are often nervous and distracted with what’s going on around them. It’s important to ensure they comprehend and correctly confirm what’s noted on consent forms before they sign along the dotted line and are brought back for surgery. “Instead of simply reading off the form and asking if what you said was correct, have patients describe in their own words the procedure they’re scheduled to have done and the intended surgical site,” says Celia Smith, administrator at the Houston Premier Surgery Center in The Villages. Ms. Smith says posing the question that way — and asking follow-up questions if more information is needed — instead of asking patients to confirm yes or no prompts, which could result in confirmation bias, leads to safer care. OSM