If you work in a hospital, you want to provide your patients with the best care possible. Sometimes, your patients might even require surgery. Most people will be nervous before a surgical procedure. You need to make sure you make them as comfortable as possible. One of the ways to do that is to focus on improving the patient’s experience. What are a few tips you should follow if you want to improve the experience of your patients in the operating room? Take a look at a few tips below, and do not hesitate to reach out to a professional who can give you some guidance.
Have a Dedicated Patient Life Team in the Operating Room
First, hospitals need to have a dedicated patient care team in the operating room. What this means is that there need to be professionals who have been specifically trained to keep patients comfortable. There are plenty of ways professionals can keep patients comfortable in the operating room. For example, there might be professionals who are trained to help patients with breathing exercises. Or, some professionals may have stress management tools that can help patients relax. These individuals also need to be trained to answer questions that patients may have about the upcoming operation.
Stick to a Smooth Scheduling Experience
It is also critical to make sure patients have a smooth scheduling experience. Patients do not like it when their procedures get bumped. Therefore, it is important for hospitals to use the best OR scheduling software they can find. There are plenty of options available, and hospitals need to find an option that works best for their needs. Some hospitals have only one or two operating rooms. Other hospitals may have a few dozen operating rooms. Hospitals need to use a scheduling system that will minimize the chances of a patient’s procedure getting bumped. It can be stressful for patients to get ready to head to the hospital for surgery. This is something they should only have to do one time. The easiest way to do that is to use a comprehensive scheduling software program.
Have a Distraction Ready in the Prep Area
It is also helpful to have a distraction ready in the prep area. This is particularly important for hospitals that work with children. People are going to be nervous waiting for surgery, and children are going to be more nervous than adults. There are plenty of distractions that might be present. For example, it may be helpful to have a game ready. Or, it might be helpful to have a movie on. Some patients might want to watch a TV show. These distractions are helpful because they can help patients relax before the surgical procedure. If patients are relaxed, the procedure will have a better chance of going well.
Have Someone There When They Wake Up
Finally, when patients wake up from surgery, they will be confused. They might not remember what happened, and they may not know where they are. Someone always has to be there to comfort the patient when they wake up. This could be a friend or family member. This could be a trained hospital professional. Patients should not wake up alone at the end of a procedure, as this could be traumatic. Think carefully about the type of procedures that take place. Then, think about whether it is appropriate for a family member to be there when the patient wakes up. Having someone there to hold the patient’s hand can go a long way toward making them feel comfortable.
Improve the Patient Experience in the OR
These are a few of the most important tips to keep in mind when it comes to improving the patient experience during surgery. It is important to think carefully about how patients are viewing the operating experience. It is critical for administration teams to take steps to make life easier for patients in the operating room. This can go a long way toward improving the bottom line, convincing patients to come back in the future, and attracting the best surgical teams to the facility. There are professionals that can help hospitals improve the quality of their operating rooms.
