Preadmission testing in a children's facility

NURSES IN A SAME DAY SURGERY (SDS) UNIT used their hospital's quality model to identify a long-term problem, establish a project, analyze the problem, and make recommendations for changes to improve patient care. THE PROCESS included conducting a review of the literature, collecting data about procedure delays and cancellations, making a site visit to another children's hospital, and presenting pertinent findings to the OR committee. THE NURSES initiated a pilot program to bring surgical patients into the SDS area for a preadmission testing visit. DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS decreased, and satisfaction among nurses working in the SDS unit increased as a result of this program.