Ideas That Work: A Simple Card Keeps Friends and Family in the Loop

Visitor restrictions put in place during the pandemic at Lakeland (Fla.) Surgical & Diagnostic Center made it difficult to keep patient escorts updated on the status of their loved ones’ surgeries. To help keep the lines of communication open, the center’s staff created cards on which they note the name and phone number of the patient’s driver, how far they live from the facility and whether they’re waiting in the parking lot. The card is filled out when patients arrive at the center, follows them throughout their stay and reminds staff to contact the driver multiple times to provide updates on the progress of the procedure. “Prior to implementation of this card, we felt that communication with escorts was lost along the way,” says Nikki Williams, RN, CNOR, Lakeland’s executive director. “There was no prompt in place to remind them to call waiting friends and family members, and we received complaints about that lack of connection in patient satisfaction surveys. Patients now comment on how well informed their escorts are throughout the entire surgical process.” OSM