A new study conducted at a North Carolina ambulatory surgery center shows nurses who call patients three business days prior to a scheduled surgery decreases the daily cancellation rate by 53 percent, according to a report published in the July issue of the AORN Journal and coverage from HealthDay News.
Preoperative nurses at the University of North Carolina Health Care Ambulatory Surgical Center in Chapel Hill used a script to communicate preoperative information and address any questions or concerns. In addition to decreasing the cancellation rate, the calls helped increase patient satisfaction scores and operating room use.
The nurses used the calls to target the three main reasons for cancellations, which were determined by study investigators Kimberly Haufler, RN, and Mary Harrington, BSN, RN, who work at the ASC. The top three reasons they determined are:
- no-shows;
- patient had eaten solid food within eight hours prior to surgery; and
- patient was not accompanied by a responsible adult who could receive discharge instructions and provide transportation.
Data were collected over a two-year period — 18 months before the intervention and six months after the project began.
Read the AORN Journal abstract about the study on surgery center cancellations.
Read the HealthDay News report, hosted on MDNews.com, about the ASC study.
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