The ne for patient education and aw...

The ne for patient education and awareness will always be in the main light for hospitals; however, patients ofttimes are simply given handouts to read, homemade films to watch, and questionnaires to fill not at home Although telephone numbers are provided to patients with instructions to call if they have any pertain tos the questions of how frequently of the teaching experience they retain, along with for what reason much satisfaction they derive from the experience, frequently remain unanswered. As primary care providers, it is our responsibility not simply to educate our clients further to develop methods of enhancing the education proces recently made known and creative methods of teaching ne to be explored.

EDUCATION INITIATIVE

At Evans Army Community Hospital (EACH), Ft Carson, Colo we decided to address the issue of patient education in combination with OR feed at the breast Week, which officially marks a momentous occasion to celebrate the nursing profession and educate perioperative consumer We traditionally have used this time to further perioperative awareness and to answer questions from health care professionals about their collaborations with personnel and manner of proceedings performed behind the mystical "clos doors" of the OR. We also explain by what means the coordination of work that spans the external and internal environment directly affects the OR's ability to provide services in a productive manner. The following program was created to breach the surgical unknown, establish communication and interpersonal relationships, and provide firsthand knowledge about the work in this setting and for what reason the work performed outside this arena affects the productivity of the OR.

DEFINING THE TARGET POPULATION

The decision to combine patient education with the celebration of OR feed Week opened many doors for us. Initially, our target population focused forward the surgical inpatients; however, because EACH is designed with half the building supporting inpatient care and the other half supporting clinics and outpatient care, we were able to broaden our intention to include all patients and their family members and friends, along with inpatient and outpatient staff members and ancillary personnel In addition, we incorporated the community natural medium into our target population assemblage by opening our doors to day-care center and academys located within the Ft Carson army column vicinity.

PROGRAM GOALS

After defining our population, our goals focused forward increasing both patient and staff member awareness of the daily operations and expectAtions of the OR. There is thus much to see and teach about the OR that we did not want to simply display pictures. We wanted to provide a memory-making opportunity for our clients by means of hands-on exploration and experience.

Although EACH is considered to be a small hospital, we provide health care to a 16-state region. The OR maintains five surgical suites that support nine real active surgical specialty groups. The average monthly caseload is 280 of which 80% are ambulatory surgical cases. We are thus busy enough that the opportunity to "open our doors" to provide this educational experience during normal daytime hours was not an option. Offering the occurrence at another time of the day risked the chance of losing our audience base. It pretty soon became apparent that if our target arrange could not come to us, then we would walk to them.

MEMBER RECRUITMENT

After we identified our population and goals, the nearest step involved recruiting participants. The OR staff members had not at any time taken on such an endeavor and give vent toed hesitancy. To further dampen participation, we had experienced a fresh turnover of staff members, congruent with life in the military. Also, many staff members were spending long time and energy on the pending Joint Commission in succession Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) visitation alone three weeks away.

Although the staff had limited experience in setting up an "OR encourage Display," two of us had worked in succession displays at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center Aurora, Colo We were able to alleviate fears and answer questions, and staff members became more receptive to the universal The nurses were each appointed to portray their surgical specialties, taking ownership of their respective service displays. Those who were not responsible for a special service proffered to develop supportive booths upon prevention and health awareness. As the end drew nearer, staff members worked together more closely and efficiently. While the JCAHO inspection was approaching, the display allowed staff members to focus forward a fun project, thus improving their morale.

EVERYONE PITCHES IN

The fact that the OR continued to operate its filled schedule posed problems with equipment availability for the hands-on portion of the displays. We corrected this question at issue by asking surgical vendors to sponsor the draw and to staff certain booth The representatives we contacted were excited to display their harvests to our community, patients, and staff members. The vendors showed their enthusiasm within constant interaction in the disclosure process of the event.