Robin Voss, RN, MHA, TNCC-I, Field Director for Disease-Specific Care at The Joint Commission discusses orthopedic care challenges and offers insights into how to address them. This episode is sponsored by The Joint Commission.
Summary
Robin Voss Discusses Orthopedic Care Challenges and Solutions
In a recent podcast sponsored by the Joint Commission, Robin Voss, RN, MHA, TNCC-I, Field Director for Disease-Specific Care at The Joint Commission, discussed some of the common challenges in orthopedic care and offered insights into how providers can address them.
Standardization and Clinical Practice Guidelines
One of the biggest challenges in orthopedic care, according to Voss, is standardization. Providers need to look at the most current clinical practice guidelines for the specific disease process they are treating in order to ensure that they are providing the highest quality of care.
Pre-Op Optimization and Clearance
Another challenge in orthopedic care is the difference between pre-op optimization and preoperative clearance. Optimization is necessary to evaluate and implement measures to prepare higher risk patients for surgery. Providers need to understand the risks associated with the particular type of surgery that's planned and relate this risk to the patient's underlying acute and chronic medical problems.
Interventions include looking at non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors such as metal allergies, BMI, diabetes, vitamin D levels, anticoagulation, obstructive sleep apnea and tobacco use.
Evaluating Patients Before Surgery
Providers need to do their due diligence in terms of evaluating patients several weeks before surgery and looking at non-modifiable risk factors to ensure the patient is optimized for an effective surgery. This process is crucial for ensuring the safest and most effective possible outcome for patients.
Patient Education
One of the most important aspects of orthopedic care is patient education. Patients need to understand how to manage their pain and swelling, prevent infections, understand medications and side effects, assess wound and dressing changes, understand limitations and restrictions, use equipment or DME, and follow up with PCP and surgeon. Education must be provided in different ways to ensure the patient comprehends what is needed to go home and take care of themselves.
Overall, Voss's insights offer valuable guidance on how providers can improve the quality of orthopedic care that they provide to their patients.
Proudly sponsored by The Joint Commission, listeners can tune into more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare by visiting becker's podcast.com.
Note: This is an AI generated transcript, not edited by a staff writer and is solely intended for educational purposes. If you have any questions/concerns, reach out to podcasts@beckershealthcare.com
This episode aired on 11/21/2022 and can be listened here.
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