pre-op and hearing aid?

[GingerSue]

when a patient has a hearing aid and is being prepared before surgery,

is the hearing aid removed?

My textbook says that "hearing aids are usually left in place to allow the client to better follow instructions. Glasses and hearing aids must be returned to the client as soon as possible following surgery."

so - is the hearing aid removed or left in?

thanks

[gitterbug]

I can only speak for what we do here. We leave the hearing aide in place until the patient is given anesthesia, it is then removed, placed in a container that is clearly marked with name and room number, it stays with the patients chart until the patient regains a LOC that the hearing aide is needed. The chart has a note attached to the front alerting anyone that patient needs/has a hearing aide, we sometimes write on a piece of tape and put it on the patients gown hearing aide in place to R or L ear, just a a gentle reminder to the OR staff. When OR calls for the patient we verbally tell them the patient has a hearing aide too. All of this is charted, so there is a chain of knowledge and protocal. We used to give them to family members but it was found that patients were too disadvantaged in PACU without their hearing aides to respond approiately to commands or instructions.