Patient Registration and Triage

As our buses arrived at the hospital we passed by a line of people with their children in tow and I realized these would be the patients we were to meet today.  We were quickly sorted into teams to start our prep.  The OR nurses and anesthetists went one direction to see the prep, OR, and PACU areas, check their supplies and set up their rooms.  The surgeons and anesthesiologists went another direction to begin triaging patients in a set 6 exam rooms.  Patrick, the head administrator from Healing with Children and I set up near the surgeons and anesthesiologists to capture each of the patients and families as they finished the triage process.  They were sorted into priority 1, 2, and 3 based on their diagnosis and plan and the patients health and readiness for surgery.  Priority 3's would not be getting surgery this week.  1's and most of the 2's would be put on the schedule.

I was surprised by how emotional I felt when the hospital doors were opened and the line of people began to walk through the door.   Although things felt a little chaotic, it was actually quite orderly.  

Patrick had me capture a few important details from all of the priority 1's and 2's in a spreadsheet that would be converted into the surgical schedule for the week.  I also took photos of the children that will be used to merge with their written documentation and schedule.

Patients waiting for their surgical assessment:

As the line cleared out, the children enjoyed playing with balloons they received:

 

65 patients were put on the weeks surgical schedule by the end of the triage day.  More patients will be triaged today and added later in the week.   Here is just a small sample of the patients:

The eyes are blurry on purpose.  

The surgeons, surgical residents and anesthesiologists preparing the first draft of the surgical schedule:

Scheduling was the most involved part of day 1.  Patrick and I were the last to leave the hospital.  When I arrived back at the hotel, much of the team was enjoying the small pool and patio at our hotel.