Mount Nittany Health continues to schedule and perform an increasing number of surgical procedures throughout the health system, it’s important that you receive any care that may have been delayed due to the pandemic. Here are some key steps to safely prepare for your surgery and what to expect.
Rescheduling
Your surgeon’s office will contact you to reschedule your surgery or procedure. This may take some time since two months’ worth of patients have been impacted. However, if your condition has worsened, please call your doctor right away to let him/her know.
COVID-19 testing
You will be tested for COVID-19 before your surgery or procedure. Your surgeon will give you an order and instructions for a COVID-19 nasal swabbing. This will need to be done three to five business days before your procedure, noting that Mount Nittany Health COVID-19 testing locations are available Monday through Friday.
Pre-op testing is available at the following Mount Nittany Health lab locations: Mount Nittany Health – Blue Course Drive, Mount Nittany Health – Park Avenue, Mount Nittany Health – Philipsburg, Mount Nittany Health – Mifflin County, Mount Nittany Health – Bellefonte, Mount Nittany Health – Penns Valley, Mount Nittany Medical Center outpatient lab, and the pre-admission testing office at the Medical Center.
Pre-op testing is available on a walk-in basis, no appointment needed (an appointment is needed if the swabbing is done at the pre-admission testing office). Just be sure to have your test collected three to five business days before your surgery and before noon if collected three days prior to your procedure. Results are time sensitive and if your sample is collected after noon, it could delay or cancel your procedure. Test results will be sent to your surgeon and anesthesia team.
The days leading up to surgery
After your test has been collected, you will need to limit your social exposure to reduce your risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. Practice everyday precautions like social distancing, wearing a mask in public and washing your hands often.
Limit your activities to only those that are essential, including work. If part of your job involves working with others, be sure to follow the safety measures at your workplace, such as use of personal protective equipment (PPE), like a mask, gloves, eye protection, etc., if available. Avoid non-essential activities like social gatherings, eating inside at a restaurant, and unnecessary travel.
If you develop any new symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting, please notify your surgeon or anesthesia team.
You will receive a screening call from a nurse prior to your surgery. The nurse will ask about any symptoms for you, as well as those in your household. Please tell the nurse at this time if you will need any help getting from your car into the facility, for instance, if you will need a wheelchair.
Day of surgery
You, permitted visitors and caregivers will be screened as you enter the facility. You will be asked questions about recent symptoms, recent diagnosis or pending test results for COVID-19, and exposure to sick individuals. You will also have your temperatures taken.
Visitor restrictions are currently still in place, with visitors allowed only under special circumstances. Please provide staff with a phone number to contact your driver and/or emergency contact person. Staff and surgeons will notify them with any updates throughout your care.
Additionally, all patients, visitors, employees and providers are required to wear masks. There are also special protective barriers up in registration areas between you and staff.
We are taking extra precautions, and asking a few extra steps from you to help keep you and our staff safe. The one thing that always remains the same is our commitment to providing safe, high-quality care.
To learn more about the steps Mount Nittany Health is taking to keep patients and staff safe, please visit mountnittany.org/open.
Written by Kim Kennedy, RN, MSN, BSN, Director of Surgical Services, Mount Nittany Medical Center