WHEN YOU SAY WHAT YOU SAY
Give Discharge Instructions Before, Not After

The key to explaining discharge instructions so patients can easily understand them is to start in pre-op. Review discharge instructions and conduct crutch training, if necessary, while patients are in their pre-op bays. PACU nurses will appreciate that the post-op education will take less time to review, and groggy patients recovering appreciate not having a ton of new information sprung on them.

Amiee Mingus, RN, CPAN
Regent Surgical Health
Boulder City, Nev.
[email protected]