Perioperative Medication Teaching Protocol: An Evidence-Based Project in a Perioperative Surgical Home

At the outpatient surgery center, there is a need for a perioperative medication guideline to improve appropriate medication teaching and compliance in the days and weeks leading up to a surgical intervention. It is critical that protocols and evidence-based guidelines are used throughout the management of all patients taking oral anticoagulants during the perioperative window. Currently, there is no standardized teaching protocol for patients preparing for surgery who are on anticoagulants. This lack of standardization could lead to increased surgical complications. Patient education is essential to preoperative optimization and can lead to improved patient compliance. This can be done by streamlining the education given to patients regarding their perioperative anticoagulant management, which increases effectiveness of the education and decrease adverse reactions. One solution, and the focus of this project, will be implementing a standardized medication teaching protocol, via the perioperative surgical home, to improve appropriate adherence in patients taking anticoagulants. The aim of the proposed project is that by May 30, 2021, 100% of perioperative nursing staff will receive the preoperative medication guideline, participate in the educational training, and demonstrate competency in knowledge of the guideline and patient education.