title: Triage of medical or social issues through preoperative and postoperative telephone calls by primary nurses.
abstract: A preoperative telephone call from a primary nurse decreases patient's anxiety and allows a medium for triaging medical and/or social issues which could adversely affect patients and/or cause costly delays in operating room start times. This telephone call also establishes a bond with the patient, which continues throughout the patient's hospitalization. The postoperative telephone call by a primary nurse enables the nurse to triage medical/surgical complications and to ensure the patient's understanding of postoperative instructions. The telephone calls are one way of enhancing patient care and the cost effectiveness of health care delivery.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wachter
mesh_terms: D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D009737:Nursing Records; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011321:Primary Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods*