Once Naudia was up to speed on her add-on patients in Same-Day surgery and on the patient floors of the hospital, she began preparing to see patients that were scheduled to visit her in her office. These patients were coming in so that they could have a pre-op anesthesia evaluation appointment that needed to be completed prior to their actual day of surgery. The first patient that we saw in the office was a young male who is scheduled to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. While Naudia was talking to the patient, the mother expressed her generalized concerns for her son to see a specialist. Naudia continued filling out of the top portion of the anesthesia evaluation chart (pre-operative history), and she then discussed with the patient's mother the instructions the patient should take in order to prepare for surgery. She discussed the information on the green sheet (shown below), which explains when the patient should stop eating or drinking before surgery. Furthermore, Naudia explained to me that it is essential that the patient understands the importance of following this task since these instructions are given to prevent pulmonary aspiration of stomach contents during general anesthesia. Once we were finished assessing the patient for our first scheduled appointment, our second pre-screening patient came into the office with a scoliosis diagnosis and a scheduled spinal fusion that would be occurring the following day. After Naudia gathered the patient's medical history, she put in a order for lab work that we needed in order to complete her pre-op evaluation since some patients do require specific labs prior to the day of surgery. Naudia explained to me that every menstruating girl must receive a pregnancy test as part of her lab work as the anesthesia can cause birth defects, so it is apparent the doctors know for sure whether the patient is expecting. During Naudia's exam on the female patient, she took her outside and asked her some questions in private (without the mother present), and I later found out that Naudia was asking her about any drug abuse or alcohol usage since that information does need to be charted. Naudia did note that the patient just recently used marijuana and was an alcohol drinker, so she added that information to her chart and continued on with the exam. This question is asked to all patients 10 years of age and older.
The last patient we saw was a female who was also coming in for a spinal fusion to correct her scoliosis. This little girl expressed fears and anxieties about her upcoming blood work, so Naudia calmed her down and explained to her that there are measures Le Bonheur has in place in order to help her feel more comfortable during the blood work (ex. cold spray to help numb the area). Additionally, this family was from out of town, so Naudia helped secure the family a room in the FedExFamilyHouse by filling out a chart (shown below) and confirming their reservation. The FedExFamilyHouse runs like a hotel, and it works to house families in need of a place to stay overnight while a patient from the family is staying at Le Bonheur.
The last patient we saw was a female who was also coming in for a spinal fusion to correct her scoliosis. This little girl expressed fears and anxieties about her upcoming blood work, so Naudia calmed her down and explained to her that there are measures Le Bonheur has in place in order to help her feel more comfortable during the blood work (ex. cold spray to help numb the area). Additionally, this family was from out of town, so Naudia helped secure the family a room in the FedExFamilyHouse by filling out a chart (shown below) and confirming their reservation. The FedExFamilyHouse runs like a hotel, and it works to house families in need of a place to stay overnight while a patient from the family is staying at Le Bonheur.