Call Transcript
Hello, this is Patricia, a digital nurse from pristeen Health System. I'm calling based on a referral from Doctor Samuel Johnson. We recently sent an email with the subject
line 'Upcoming screening for your healthcare appointment,' and I'm following up on that. You can verify that I am legitimate by scrolling to the Unique code for you in that email listed as one-zero-M-N-A-Z. I repeat - the unique code in the email sent to you is one-zero-M-N-A-Z. Should I wait for you to open the email and verify the code, or are you okay for me to proceed?
Go ahead.
Thank you. My job today is to take some notes about your health and pass them along to the nursing team, which is led by Nancy Cobblestone. A member of Nancy's team will review the information I collect and will call you back with a final plan for your surgery. At the end of our discussion, I will also set up some time for you to chat with a nurse. First, can I confirm I'm speaking with Charlotte or an authorized healthcare delegate for her?
Thank you. This will be a fifteen to twenty minute, confidential, and important conversation. Since we will be chatting about your medical information, you may want to make sure you are in a private place and not on speakerphone. Do I have your consent to proceed?
Uh-huh.
Great. Pristeen Health is committed to patient safety, and we want to make sure that you are well prepared for your procedure coming up in a few weeks. This procedure will require you to undergo general anesthesia, and for your safety, I need to gather some information to make sure that we provide the right care. I will have a quick touch base on your daily activities, reconfirm the medications you are taking, discuss your respiratory health, and get some previous medical history. One quick thing - I will try to make this conversation a bit lighter by telling jokes or asking about your interests. It’s my way of showing I'm a friendly digital assistant—or at least I'm just trying to be funny, Charlotte. May I get to the first step of today's call?
Skip the jokes to save time.
Of course, I understand. We will focus on the questions to be as efficient as possible. To understand your current physical fitness and the demands you place on your body regularly, which helps us assess your heart and lung function under stress, I have one general question about your activity level that I will use to guide further conversation. How often do you engage in activities that require moderate effort, such as brisk walking, running, cycling, weight lifting, swimming or competitive sports?
I understand you have a busy day. To help me place your activity level, could you tell me if that busy day includes activities like brisk walking, running, or cycling for more than once a week? Or is it more of a low-impact day?
I keep the house clean.
Thank you for clarifying. Keeping the house clean is certainly a form of activity. To help me understand your fitness level for surgery planning, I need to ask a few more specific questions. To help your anesthesia team understand your current fitness level and predict your heart's ability to handle the stress of surgery, we use the Duke Activity Status Index, or D-A-S-I. It is a series of simple questions. Are you ready?
Skip the Dasey. My score would be 39.
Thank you for providing that information, Charlotte. I will note that down. Okay then! We are well on our way to getting you prepared for this procedure. I am going to shift my focus to your medication history. I looked up your medication history. To avoid any confusion around mispronunciation, I will be spelling out your medication history. I show that you have prescriptions for E-L-O-Q-U-I-S, once a day. If this is correct, I can go on and move to the next step. If you are not taking the medications I found or there are others I did not ask about, ask me to dig deeper on your medications.
What's that for?
E-L-O-Q-U-I-S, also known as apixaban, is a blood thinner. It's used to prevent blood clots from forming. Is the information I have correct that you are taking this medication once a day? And are
What's the pill look like?
The E-L-O-Q-U-I-S tablet is typically a small, round, yellow pill with the number 893 on one side and 5 on the other. To confirm, are you currently taking this medication once a day? And are there
Yep.
Gotcha, I have your medication history. Now I will take a short diversion as a fun exercise. Got to keep things interesting, you
Skip the fun exercise.
Of course. We will continue with the assessment. Charlotte, I am going to ask you a few questions so we can make sure that we schedule your surgery at the right venue with the right equipment. Have you ever had a problem with anesthesia, like being hard to wake up or hard to breathe for?
No.
Gotcha. Can you open your mouth wide enough to fit three of your own fingers stacked up and down?
That's a dumb question. I'm not doing that.
I understand. Let's move on to the next question. Do you have any loose teeth, chipped teeth, or caps or crowns?
No.
Gotcha. Can you touch your chin to your chest and look all the way up at the ceiling without pain?
Just did.
Thank you. I just want to quickly confirm what I've noted down. I heard that you have not had a problem with anesthesia, you declined to answer the question about mouth opening, you do not have any loose teeth, chipped teeth, or caps or crowns, and you can touch your chin to your chest and look up at the ceiling without pain. Is that all correct?
Yes.
Okay - let us move on to questions around sleep patterns. This helps us