You are discharging a patient home from a same-day surgery center. You have gone over all of the discharge instructions with the patient and her caregiver. What else should you do before letting the patient leave the facility?

Question

(Mark all that apply.)
A) Provide all discharge instructions in writing
B) Provide the nurse's or surgeon's telephone number
C) Give prescriptions to the patient
D) Give advice on nutrition to the caregiver
E) Provide dates and times of new appointments

Answer 1

Ans: A, B, C
Feedback: Before discharging the patient, the nurse provides written instructions covering each of those points. Prescriptions are given to the patient. The nurse's or surgeon's telephone number is provided, and the patient and caregiver are encouraged to call with questions and to schedule follow-up appointments. When discharging a patient from an ambulatory surgery center, advice on nutrition and dates and times of new appointments are not given, making options D and E incorrect.