follow-up phone calls after daystay discharge from PACU

We also do follow up post operative phone calls. Apparently they did research and found that patients that recieved follow up calls had a more favorable view of their stay with us. We call all ambulatory surgical patients the next day. We call up to three times in an effort to reach the patient or a care giver. Common questions include pain, nausea/vomiting, mobility, eating and surgical site. We also reinforce or clarify discharge instructions with the patient.

We have a discharge post op call sheet that we fill out for each patient. We aim to call every patient but it gets busy so sometimes when can not get to everyone.

What does your PACU do on busy days when post op calls can not be done?

Hi there,
We too do post op follow up calls. We are not always able to get to the calls the next day, although that is the ideal. We have upto 72 hours to call patients. We do only one call for each patient.

I recently had surgery through our one day unit. The following day there was a f/u phone call, unfortunately I was in the shower, with my husband's assistance. We never heard the phone and they didn't call back, although the person who called said she would. So, I don't know who calls, I just know they do!

Our Periop program does not currently call Day Surgery pts -sounds like an excellent idea,but I don't think we'll ever see it here - too many pts,too few nurses. We do,in our teaching though,when we discharge from PACU to home,give a list all of the resources available to a pt if a problem develops postop.

If we did have such a program - it wouldn't be PACU who calls them,it would be the Post Recovery Lounge (Phase 2) nurses.