Postoperative care is defined as the care that a patient receives following a surgical procedure. It’s an important aspect of healthcare as it encompasses all the procedures necessary for effective recovery after any type of surgery.

According to the World Health Organization, postoperative care includes recovery room orders concerning a patient’s vital signs, pain control, intravenous fluid administration, waste output, medications, and lab investigations. Most if not all of these tasks are performed by specialist nurses.

This means that proper postoperative care is affected by the nursing shortage, especially as it includes medical tasks only doable by those with the right training and qualifications. While more specialist nurses are qualifying for their BSN, it’s currently not enough to answer the high demand for them in hospitals, community clinics, and ASCs. This is why it’s crucial for medical professionals to be well-versed in the fundamentals of postoperative care, which can help streamline the whole process and better aid patients in recovery.

Total joint replacement or reconstruction is an invasive procedure with potentially lengthy recovery times. When patients are facing the prospect of joint procedures followed by weeks of physical therapy and restrictions, a positive experience at your ASC can dramatically improve their recovery and satisfaction.

A surgical protocol called Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has been shown to significantly improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. The protocol focuses on a few key strategies outlined in this article. Overhauling processes to ERAS compliance is a huge undertaking. However, there are some concepts in ERAS that every ASC can start using right away to increase patient satisfaction and improve outcomes. 

Ambulatory Surgery Centers are beginning to realize they have a simple and affordable way to better engage their patients, connect their staff and physicians, dramatically improve their efficiency and reduce wasted time and cost. And, that most of their patients and staff are probably already using it. Text messaging is the obvious solution for facilities looking for an easy and accessible tool to improve communication and streamline workflow. The consumer convenience and benefits are obvious, but as compelling are the gains to a facility’s efficiency, staff satisfaction, and bottom line.