Call secrets of the OR- Absolutely let the family speak to their loved one before surgery

Emergency surgery is a fraught time. Obviously it is out of the blue and most families and patients are not prepared for surgery “out of thin air”. They cry grandma and pop pop were just fine yesterday. Can’t you hold the surgery, just for them to get to their loved one.

This is a painful no.

There is so much that the patient and the family don’t know. The patient is in pain and scared, the family is scared and want to do everything they can for the patient. But what if the family is not in the hospital, or even in the same state?

You allow the phone call between the family and the patient.

Full stop.

Even if it is in the middle of the night, you allow that phone call.

Because not all surgery has the desired outcome, especially emergent surgery. This is most likely life or limb related. At the very least it is performed to stop the hemorrhage, to stop the infection, to repair the open fracture where the bone is sticking out of the skin so that the bone doesn’t get infected. Middle of the night surgery is not something anyone chooses. But it must be done.

Our duty as the call nurse is to be prepared for every eventuality for every case.

Our duty is to facilitate the phone call.

Not everyone is up to this task and would rather be in their own bed in the middle of the night.

This is not something the call nurse is guaranteed.

But that is why we do what we do. The call nurse is the umbrella over the OR team, the patient, and the anesthesia team. You have to know a lot and anticipate a lot for the surgeon and scrub tech, for the anesthesia team, and for the patient.

You have to be able to see all scenarios for every case. And respond in a timely manner to all of them.

But absolutely let the family and the patient speak before the patient goes back. You can spare a minute to let that happen.

Because we won’t know the outcome of each case until it is done.

Sometimes you have to persuade the surgeon that a slight pause for this conversation is in the best interest of the patient and their family. That family ties are some of the strongest in the world and they need this communication touchstone.

Because, even under the best intentions of the OR team and the case going perfectly, it might be the last time.

And that is a gift that we can give the family.