The Surgery Process

Posted by tiredrn to Surgery, Jan 6, 2010 5:28pm

People need to be educated on the surgical process. This includes everything from preoperative instructions to JACHO and HIPPA requirements. As a nurse in an ambulatory surgery area, I wish I had a penny for everytime someone shows up to check in for surgery sipping from a bottle of water, sucking on hard candy, or chewing gum. Once someone showed up chewing tobacco. Women show up in full makeup with lots of jewerly (perfumed and lots of hair product in). Then they don't know what medications they take and want to talk to their surgeon because they aren't sure what they are having done. People show up ill and/or with rashes or infection at or near the surgical site. I know that time off from work is difficult to come by and some doctors have very busy schedules and surgeries are scheduled months in advance, however people are trying to put themselves in danger for an elective surgery. Lastly, people ask the staff about the quality of their surgeon the day of the procedure. This happens daily.