HEAD START Katie Keller-Guglietta, RN, fills out a pre-op checklist before the next day's cases.

PRE-OP CHECKLIST
Prepare for Patients Properly

Knowing as much as you can about patients before they arrive for surgery improves pre-op efficiencies and the quality of care you provide. All the information you need to make sound clinical decisions quickly is contained in patients' charts, if you take the time to look them over closely.

I've developed a pre-op checklist to help me drill down into histories and physicals and organize my thoughts instead of glossing over key details while reviewing paperwork for the next day's cases. The checklist contains basic pre-op information that must be addressed, but I also note questions that need answering or clarifications that need addressing to help guide my interactions with patients. For example, I'll make a note to check glucose levels of diabetics or write down reminders when patients have latex allergies.

The information included on the checklist and noted in the margins is what needs to be covered anyway, but thinking of questions or comments ahead of time and having them in writing at the bedside ensures everything is double-checked before patients enter the OR.

Katie Keller-Guglietta, RN
Baltimore Washington Eye Center
Glen Burnie, Md.
[email protected]