title: Forward waiting in theatre.
abstract: Waiting to go into theatre on the day of your surgery is probably the most stressful time for patients. What happens to patients during this crucial time can make a tremendous difference to the whole experience of going to theatre. Heidi Belbin and her colleagues realised that there was a problem at Lincoln City Hospital with patients being kept waiting at theatre reception and were concerned that the quality of patient care in this respect was not acceptable. A plan was developed to improve this situation, and the story of what was done is told in this article. The project was entered for the 3M/NATN award, and earned a commendation from the judges.
authors.affiliation: County Hospital in Lincoln.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Belbin
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014850:Waiting Lists