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urgical Eye Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, resumed surgery in early May following several weeks of suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the weeks that followed, Clinical Director Car- rie Nitz, RN, was not surprised to see patient cancellations increase. Any surgery is stressful during the best of times, she says. Add the novel coro- navirus—which can enter the body through the eyes—to the equation and it is completely understandable why patients would be more hesitant to proceed with ophthalmology sur- gery, she says. “We do a lot of cataracts, which means we are taking care of many older patients," Nitz says. "COVID- 19 is of greater risk to individuals as they age, contributing another level of potential stress.”
Helping patients feel more com- fortable during the health crisis is a priority for Dorian Miller, RN, direc- tor of nursing for Ophthalmology Surgery Center in Harrisburg, Penn- sylvania. This effort, she says, begins with ensuring patients do not feel pressured when the ASC reaches out to confirm their surgery. “Our patients are experiencing ele-
vated anxiety, so we are asking if they would prefer to postpone their proce- dure,” Miller says. “For those that do, we let them know they should reach out to us when they are ready.” Ophthalmology Surgery Center patients who keep their appointments are informed of the ASC’s new poli- cies during preoperative calls. The list includes requiring patients to wear masks and restricting visitors. “We also tell them that we have upped our normal cleaning guidelines and safety
While Nitz says visual reminders can help ease patient concerns, they also can have the opposite effect. “Everything different serves as a reminder that we are in a pandemic. To help counteract these feelings, we are striving to be more personable with our patients.” Staff are working to make more
eye contact with patients, which Nitz says has taken on greater importance with everyone always wearing masks. “Patients may struggle to understand us if we are not facing them and our voices are muffled. Eye contact can comfort patients and helps us assess whether patients understand what we are telling them.”
To calm nerves, Dorian Miller, RN, director of nursing for Ophthalmology Surgery Center in Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania, introduces levity into the patient experience. This includes telling jokes, wearing colorful masks and attaching tiaras to face shields.
protocols, which were rigorous even before COVID-19,” Miller says. "We want our patients to know how we will ensure their safety.” At Surgical Eye Center, signage calls attention to the requirement that everyone entering the ASC must wear a mask. Chairs have been removed from the waiting area to support social distancing. Staff frequently clean every surface in the wait- ing area as patients come through. “We are trying even harder to show patients the steps we take to reduce risks,” Nitz says. “While we always wash our hands before administer- ing drops, now we are trying to make sure patients see us practicing proper hand hygiene.”
46 ASC FOCUS OCTOBER 2020 |
ascfocus.org Engaging patients also is help-
ing alleviate stress, Nitz says. “We explain everything we do and why: the reasons we dilate their pupil, numb their cornea and mark the sur- gical eye with a color-coded label that the surgeon initials. By listening to us, patients focus less on why they may be nervous.” To further calm nerves, Miller says she introduces levity into the patient experience. This includes tell- ing jokes, wearing colorful masks and attaching tiaras to face shields. “I think of myself as the ASC’s cruise director, looking for ways to lighten the mood.”
Nitz says helping patients feel more comfortable has always been a goal for her ASC. “We had a retired nurse come in for surgery who asked for an N95 mask. We gave it to her. We have patients who ask for prayers, so we pray together. We pride our- selves on going above and beyond for our patients.”
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