The nursing role in patient education regarding outpatient neurosurgical procedures

The shift towards patient-centred care is the priority in health care today. Providing quality care that is highly efficient and patient-friendly while also being cost-effective is a difficult, but not impossible task. Since 1996, awake, image-guided day surgery for resection of brain tumors has been performed at Toronto Western Hospital in an attempt to combine the concept of patient-centred care with responsible resource allocation. Nurses can play a vital role in facilitating a shift in outpatient neurosurgery towards a more patient-care focused environment. By providing information and education to patients and families, nurses have enormous potential to improve satisfaction and outcomes for patients undergoing these procedures. Thoroughly preparing patients for their surgery and helping them manage their care post-operatively are the keys to decreased complications and re-admission. This would undoubtedly improve cost-effectiveness for the system while simultaneously improving the patients' quality of life.