Ideas That Work:First-Time Starts

Want to keep things running smoothly all day? Then get off to a fast start with your first-time starts. Here's how we did it:

• Don't waste precious time looking for perioperative team members before surgery. Instruct the entire surgical team to meet and huddle at the pre-op bedside.
• Have all your consents completed ahead of time in pre-procedure. You don't want to do them last-minute in the pre-op area.
• Streamline the pre-op briefing process to include the timeout list as a pre-check before taking patients to the OR.
• Use a standardized checklist, signed by each member, to improve communication among pre-op, surgery and PACU/discharge staff.
• Gather the soft supplies the day before the case.
• If you have trouble with antibiotics being ready when you need them, consider adding a refrigerator in pre-op so the antibiotics can be delivered and stored until needed.

Linda Pinkston, MSN, RN, CNOR
Phoenix (Ariz.) VA Health Care System
[email protected]