Your Health and Safety are Our Top Priorities!

On the day of surgery you should arrive at your appointed time. You will be admitted to the center and we will begin preparing you for your procedure. We want to make sure that you and your loved ones are well informed of what will take place and are comfortable with the procedures we have implemented to ensure a successful operation and your complete recovery

As an HCA facility, we subscribe to the highest standards of healthcare, which means exercising the Universal Protocol for Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure and Wrong Person Surgery. Endorsed by more than forty professional medical associations and organizations, this protocol consists of following safety measures on the day of your surgery to ensure we have correct information.

What to Expect on the Day of Your Surgery:

  • You will be asked to sign consent forms, which verifies that you and your doctor have discussed the surgery to be performed as well as the associated risks.
  • During pre-admission, the pre-op assessment nurse will complete verification of the correct patient, correct procedure and correct operative site by:
    1. Consulting with you and/or your representative
    2. Confirming that your consent form is complete
    3. Confirming patient procedure and site with the physician's documentation
  • The staff will verify who you are, what kind of surgery you are having, and the expected part of the body on which the surgery is being performed, as well as double-checking what you tell them against the documents provided by your doctor's office (for example: X-rays).
  • Depending on the type of surgery you are having, the person performing your procedure will mark the correct location on your body where the procedure is to be performed.
    1. This is called site marking and is a critical step to preventing errors, especially if you are having surgery on one of your arms, legs, hands, fingers, eyes, or ears. For example, if you are having a cataract removed only from your right eye, the surgeon will make a mark somewhere around your right eye with a surgical marking pen or semi-permanent tattoo. This is to ensure the correct eye is the one being operated.
  • The patient, family member, or significant other will participate in the verification process prior to pre-op medication, sedation and anesthesia.
  • TIME OUT ... Once you are taken to the operating room, a time out will be completed by the surgical team before beginning your surgery to assure themselves that they are performing the correct procedure at the correct site and on the correct person.

You will be asked to sign consent forms for your procedure and anesthesia, which acknowledges your permission for the physicians and facility to care for you. If the patient is a minor, this form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.

We invite you to be an active participant in the planning and delivery of your care. Pain management, medication therapy given or prescribed as well as hand hygiene and cleanliness are areas patients and family members can contribute.

Pediatric Patients

Both parents may stay with their child in the pre-operative area before surgery and in step-down recovery following surgery. Feel free to bring a favorite stuffed animal or blanket. A parent or legal guardian must remain in the facility while their child is under our care. Please bring a bottle or sippy cup if your child does not drink from a cup. It is fine for your child to have something to drink after the procedure.

Clean Hands Are Safer Hands. Are Yours Clean?

All reasonable precautions have been taken by the World Health Organization to verify the information contained in this document. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either, expressed or implied. the responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the World Health Organization be liable for damages arising from its use.

When? YOUR 5 MOMENTS FOR HAND HYGIENE

  1. BEFORE TOUCHING A PATIENT:

    WHEN? Clean your hands before touching a patient when approaching him/her.

    WHY? To protect the patient against harmful germs carried on your hands.

  2. BEFORE CLEAN/ASEPTIC PROCEDURE:

    WHEN? Clean your hands immediately before performing a clean/aseptic procedure.

    WHY? To protect the patient against harmful germs, including the patient's own, from entering his/her body.

  3. AFTER BODY FLUID EXPOSURE RISK:

    WHEN? Clean your hands immediately after an exposure risk to body fluids (and after glove removal).

    WHY? To protect yourself and the health-care environment from harmful patient germs.

  4. AFTER TOUCHING A PATIENT:

    WHEN? Clean your hands after touching a patient and her/his immediate surroundings, when leaving the patient's side.

    WHY? To protect yourself and the health-care environment from harmful patient germs.

  5. AFTER TOUCHING PATIENT SURROUNDINGS:

    WHEN? Clean your hands after touching any object or furniture in the patient's immediate surroundings, when leaving - even if the patient has not been touched.

    WHY? To protect yourself and the health-care environment from harmful patient germs.