Operating Room Preference Cards An OR Director’s Key To Efficiency

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Operating Room Preference Cards: An OR
Director’s Key To Ef몭ciency

Most times, failure to change the preference card results in over-ordering. While some
physicians turn a blind eye to the negative effects of inaccurate preference cards,
hospital authorities have to make up for it 몭nancially. 

From a glance, preference cards seem like they are just a list of preferred tools and
supplies. While that is true, these cards hold a heavier purpose, especially for logistics
and planning. 

Moreover, preference cards are more than a list of supplies. There are also instructions
on how and where to use speci몭c tools. So, what are other reasons for having an
operating room preference card?

How Preference Cards Contribute
Towards Ef몭ciency

Operating room preference cards help nurses balance their time to help patients and
assist doctors. Therefore, if nurses spend most of their time looking for supplies not on
preference cards, their schedules become hectic. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. Here’s more:

Preference Cards Prevent Disappointing Outcomes 

Updated preference cards are excellent because they ensure surgeries are seamless.
Moreover, they ensure proper documentation. For example, you get the procedure
date and patient charges from a preference card. 

While preference cards are helpful, they have serious repercussions if they’re not
updated. Moreover, dealing with handwritten preference cards leads to a lot of
miscommunications. New technologies ais hospital functions to go electronic. 

Poor communication means increased risk of complications during surgery since
some supplies will miss from the list. 

In addition, inaccurate operating room preference cards lead to wastage of supplies,
time, and resources. 

Preference Cards Offer the Best Solutions

Modern hospitals use preference card software to aid in the documentation process.
As a result, it becomes easier to know which doctor prefers what and when. For
example, if a surgeon tends to ask for the same supplies during a heart transplant,
these supplies are listed on his preference card. 

Knowing what physicians use for medical cases saves time and money and, more
importantly, reduces wastage. Moreover, the instructions on the preference card plus
an accurate record of equipment and supplies prevent disruptions during procedures. 

Preference Cards Streamline Surgery Scheduling 

Hospitals need proper planning to prevent overbooking operating rooms. Besides,
every minute spent in an operating room costs money. Therefore, accuracy is crucial. 

When a surgeon lists the supplies they need, the patient is cleared, and the scheduler
makes an OR available. Moreover, the anesthesiologist gets ready to join nurses and
surgeons in the OR. If the preference card is inaccurate, there are high chances of
delayed, canceled and complicated surgeries.  

Maintaining preference cards is not easy. First, everyone involved must ensure the
information is accurate and the suppliers are available. Failure to do this means that all
other processes won’t 몭ow smoothly. Besides, surgical procedures will be more
complicated than they need to be.  A surgeon’s preferences should not be a matter of
guesswork. Major and minor surgical procedures need different supplies. Therefore,
the card should clearly de몭ne what is needed and its function. If it does not, the

consequences are dire and could lead to irreversible complications during surgery. 

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elanieworry July 5, 2022 Uncategorized

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