Ideas to cut down on patient in the room to incision

Specialties Operating Room

Published

Specializes in Hospice, Nursing Education, Primary Care.

Can anyone help me with how you have decreased the time from when the patient is in the door to surgical incision? Does anyone know of any articles on this?

Thanks in advance

get a fast anesthesiologst, and don't bring the patient into the room until the surgeon is in the surgeon's lounge.

Be prepared for your case. Have everthing that you are going to use layed out prior to bringing the patient in the room. Whatever you may need for prepping have on your prep stand: bovie, prep, forced air blanket, etc. Also, if you are placing a pillow under the knees have it on the bed. You can attach foam pads for heels at the end of the bed. Anything that you may need for positioning, have it within arms reach. I never have to take more than a few steps to get what I need and don't leave the patient's side. Also, if you surgeon wanders, give him a call, "I am taking the patient into the room now." Also, after intubation and prior to prep, give the surgeon another call, "I am going to prep now." Keep the lines of communication open with your scrub tech. Let them know when you will be ready to bring the patient in the room. Have your meds checked and ready to go.

I hope this helps!

Karen

Specializes in Operating Room.
Be prepared for your case. Have everthing that you are going to use layed out prior to bringing the patient in the room. Whatever you may need for prepping have on your prep stand: bovie, prep, forced air blanket, etc. Also, if you are placing a pillow under the knees have it on the bed. You can attach foam pads for heels at the end of the bed. Anything that you may need for positioning, have it within arms reach. I never have to take more than a few steps to get what I need and don't leave the patient's side. Also, if you surgeon wanders, give him a call, "I am taking the patient into the room now." Also, after intubation and prior to prep, give the surgeon another call, "I am going to prep now." Keep the lines of communication open with your scrub tech. Let them know when you will be ready to bring the patient in the room. Have your meds checked and ready to go.

I hope this helps!

Karen

Agreed! I do everything I possibly can before I go get the patient. I like to count and give all my meds before we come to the back. If we're using stirrups, I already have 1 on the bed and the other not far from it. I keep one armboard on the bed and the other underneath. I call the surgeon as soon as we get in the room. And most of all, I MOVE MY ASS! Unless the intubation is difficult, it really all depends on you

Specializes in OR-General and Burn and Wound.

Have everything you need to do with the tech done before pt. comes into room such as counts and all supplies and equipment needed are in room. The tech can then assist the circulator with pt. care after pt. arrives. Surgeon and/or resident should be in room as soon as pt. arrives to do time out so any last minute changes can be discussed that will cause a delay in pt. preparation.

Specializes in Intensive care, Operating room.

I page anesthesia the minute I get in the room. Lots of other nurses apply all the monitors, take a set of vitals then call the Anesthesia. That alone can be 10 minutes. Call the surgeon just prior to induction, by the time they wander down the hall, should be just about right.

Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

This is the never ending story....... IMO it's all about the people not the process. Our anes comes to the room with us, still some slower than dirt, some scrubs can set everything up and be ready in the time it takes for induction and prep. Some nurses are slow pokes, some scrubs are slow, some anesthesia. I would love to put all the fast workers together and all the slow workers together (with the slow docs, lol)

Room to room time and dr out to dr in, same problems, different names. Good luck it can makeyou crazy, especially if you are fast and even one person on your team is slow.

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