NOT FORGOTTEN The simple act of checking in on patients in pre-op whose cases are delayed goes a long way.Waiting Game
Dealing With Delays
For patients, nothing's worse than an interminable wait in pre-op. To reduce complaints about long waits, check in on patients parked in pre-op due to a backed-up schedule or a late physician. Every 30 minutes, a patient care technician or RN rounds each pre-operative bay to check and see if patients need anything, such as a warm blanket, a magazine or a bathroom break. We honestly let patients and family members know the cause of the delay and the approximate start time of their surgery. After rounding, we initial the box on the patient-rounding log. Patients appreciate knowing why they're waiting and that we haven't forgotten about them. Chatting with them for a minute eases their frustration.