Posted by Marilyn Lawrence on February 15, 1998 at 11:27:33:
TQM
The complaint- Patients and their fammilies are frustrated when given an approximate time tor their procedure and then end up going much later then that time.
The problem- We try to explain to the nursing floors that we operate on a "to follow" format in our schedule. When one procedure is done, we do the next. We understand that the patients are anxious and need to tell their families when to be at the hospital. We encourage the nurses to use such phrases as "mid-morning", or "early afternoon", but to no avail. Some of our procedures take much longer than expected, that's something that can not be changed. A system must be implemented so the nursing staff understands this concept, and the patients and their families won't be frustrated and angry.