JUNE 1997, VOL 65, NO 6 L E T T E R S

PREADMISSION TES TlNG have several questions about the article “The Role of the Anes- I thesia Care Coordinator in Pre-

admission Testing” in the Novem- ber 1996 issue of the Jourtzd. I find it hard to believe that, as the case study in this article describes, women undergo outpatient vaginal hysterectomies.

In the United Kingdom, patients usually visit the outpatient department to consult with their physicians. When indicated, minor surgical procedures (eg, skin biop- sy, sigmoidoscopies) are carried out, either for diagnostic purposes or for preadmission testing. The visits rarely last longer than two hours, and patients return to their homes or care settings.

Vaginal hysterectomy is classi- fied as a major surgical procedure and is carried out in the operating theatre under strict sterile condi- tions. The patient then remains in the hospital for several days after surgery.

tion of the article could be incor- rect in light of the differences between health care in the United States and the United Kingdom; however, please clarify the following items for me.

I appreciate that my interpreta-

B What do the authors mean by the term outpatient?

m What happens postoperatively to the patient undergoing this kind of surgery? Is she dis- charged home or admitted to a ward? Who assists the doctor with the surgical intervention?

L I N D A WALKER BSc, RGN, DON

UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF WALES AND

LECTURER PRACTITIONER

THE SCHOOL OF NURSING STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF WALES (CARDIFF)

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Author‘s response. Ms Walk- er’s letter certainly highlights the differences between our countries’ use of the English language. In the United States, an outparierzt is defined as a patient who receives treatment at a physician’s office, clinic, or home, but is not admit- ted to a hospital. Outpatient surgery in a hospital setting means that the patient goes home in 24 hours or less after the surgical pro- cedure is completed. These patients have surgery in the same ORs where inpatient surgery is performed-under strict sterile conditions.

After surgery. outpatients are

admitted to the postanesthesia care unit to receive care before they go to the outpatient unit. In the outpa- tient unit, patients are monitored carefully and receive care from highly trained and experienced RNs. Patients are discharged home only after meeting specific criteria regarding pain control, hydration, elimination, and sup- port from family members. In addition, follow-up calls usually are conducted.

H E I D I 1. SWANSON RN, BSN

ANESTHESIA CARE COORDINATOR

PREADMISSION TESTING DEPARTMENT SARASOTA (FLA) MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

CORRECTION

FEBRUARY 1997, VOL 65 NO 2, pages 419-421. Much of the factual information in this article should have been attributed to the following articles. m C Habgood, “Statutory decla-

ration seeks to improve recog- nition,” (Legislative Update) The Surgical Technologist 28 (January 1996) 13-18.

rn C Habgood, “Licensing analy- sis,” (Legislative Update) The Surgical Technologist 28 (May 1996) 16-20.

Proposed Recommended Practices Available for Review AORN members and other individuals who are inter- ested in reviewing and commenting on proposed rec- ommended practices may obtain copies of these doc- uments by calling the AORN fax on demand number (800) 755-7980. Individuals without access to fax machines may obtain copies by calling the AORN Center for Nursing Practice at (800) 755-2676 x 8265 or on the Internet at http://www.aorn.org/.

The following three proposed recommended practices are available for review. They are

proposed recommended practices for sterilization in perioperative practice settings, proposed recommended practices for electro- surgery, and proposed recommended practices for environmen- tal responsibility in the practice setting.

1038 AORN JOURNAL