In the ambulatory surgical setting, nurses are forced to wear a lot of hats. They are not only the nurse, but may be a respiratory therapist, secretary, physician liaison for physician office referrals, educator, physical therapist, housekeeping, infection control, quality coordinator, and any other role necessary to deliver exceptional care to the patient. With limited budget and resources, surgical facilities are still expected to maintain infection control and quality assurance (QA) programs to ensure patients are receiving the safest care. The Joint Commission requires QA programs to cover Infection Control, Performance Improvement efforts, and the Culture of Safety within the ASC. In Texas, the Department of Health (TDH) wants all transfers, emergency department admissions, hospitalizations, and patients returned to surgery to be included in reporting requirements.
Evidence-based risk assessments within your preop eval process should include:
- Sleep Apnea – founded on the STOP-Bang evaluation
- Venous Thromboembolism – based on the Caprini scoring model
- Latex allergy
- Fall Risk
- Opioid risk evaluation.
In addition, communication solutions can send post-operative surveys that triage patients who need attention first, increasing outcomes, patient satisfaction and reducing nursing time to make post-op phone calls. All survey questions, responses, response rates are noted and the reports can be exported to Excel, allowing facilities to extract insightful data or provide to accreditation agencies as required.
The STEEEP framework provided by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) lists the aims of health care quality as Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable, and Patient-Centered (AHRQ, IOM 6 Domains of Health Care Quality). Work with a vendor that provides the tools needed in healthcare settings to meet these aims and provide patients with care that follows evidence-based guidelines. One Medical Passport follows evidence-based guidelines. Want to learn more? Comment or fill out a form to connect with our team.
