Essential patient details

It is important to provide basic details to the recovery nurse, including the patient’s name, age and a description of what surgery has just taken place, especially if this differs from the planned procedure.

The patient’s ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) category, relevant past medical history, drug history and allergies are also important basics, and can be quickly mentioned here.

For example, if you tell the nurse the patient has known atrial fibrillation, then the nurse will expect an irregular heart rate and will not be too concerned when they experience an irregular pulse when monitoring the patient.

This category should include:

• Name
• Age
• ASA grade
• Relevant past medical history
• Allergies and drug history