Being on the flip side

Definately report the issue to Patient Relations department so followup can be done regarding error in stating reporting time to hospital preop.  It may be a onetime issue or reoccurring problem which affects surgery start time = $$$ due to disrupted schedule affecting preop staff's whole day schedule AND patient annoyance/satisfaction.

emtpbill said:

Can I get some opinions?

Speaking from the side of the OR:

Things can change a lot in just a short time. Surgeries have to be rearranged because "loaner trays" (these are instruments owned by the device company that come in to be sterilized the night before) arrive late, and to safely provide standard sterilization, we may move the first case to later in the day and the next patient gets to go first. Sometimes emergencies happen that bump a surgeon from one OR into another, where maybe they can actually start earlier if an additional room is staffed. Sometimes the first patient of the day gets cancelled (they ate, the blood sugar is sky high/way too low, etc) and we call in the next patient and expedite them. And sometimes, the person calling reads the schedule wrong and gives the patient the wrong time.

Unlike your wife, I would not call this a medical error. Nothing untoward happened beyond inconvenience and annoyance, and as long as standard patient care occurred just on an accelerated timeframe, there were no additional risks. I would follow up with the patient rep regarding the experience if the nurse on the phone was rude, but this is not truly a hill to die on in my opinion.

emtpbill said:

Is it common to have rep's in the OR?

Yes! The reps are truly part of the team. They are there to support the staff and surgeon as they do their work. The reps are the experts in whatever company they work for- and ortho/neuro reps where we are using implants spend just as much time in the OR as we do. 

londonflo said:

No, they are there to provide advice on the device they are selling. The devices should never be in the transporting cardboard box from their car into the OR. 

Actually, the facility usually has already purchased what they're selling and has a long standing contract on it. The vendors physically present in the OR are there to assist in the procedure as a resource and provide education, which indeed makes them part of the team, albeit not one employed by the hospital. Those looking to bring something new in generally have to meet outside of the OR and with more than just a surgeon. They don't get free access to an OR with surgery in process.

Source: am an actual OR nurse who has worked in the OR with vendors and also with the purchasing evaluation and approval process.

emtpbill said:

    So is it that the hospital, or surgeon, is using a new design or manufacturer necessitating a rep to be in the OR?   Or is it a regular thing for them to be there 'just in case' the OR team have a question?

Our ortho reps are there pretty much every day, even though we've used their implants for years. They assist with ensuring the proper implants are recorded (seriously, a small fragment fracture tray can have a dozen or more different plates, and 3-5 different types of screws, all in different lengths), support staff who maybe aren't as familiar with one set or another (each surgeon has a preference, and the hospitals often don't say no to them, so we may have 6 or 7 different types of total hips to choose from), they assist in refilling implants in trays that have been used, and if the hospital doesn't own the trays (“loaners”) are responsible for getting it to the hospital in a timely manner that it can be properly sterilized and then after we clean it taking it back so it isn't cluttering up our storage areas. That doesn't mean that everyone NEEDS the rep present to walk them through each tiny step of the surgery, but they are there if needed. I have never scrubbed ortho, but the reps I work with would be able to get me through the surgery.