Postoperative telephone calls: timing is everything.

Having nurses contact same-day surgical patients by telephone early in the patients' recovery process may help guide recovery, but there are no guidelines as to the best time to make these calls. A convenience sample of 77 patients undergoing same-day knee arthroscopy surgery at a large health care center in the northeastern United States was recruited to examine the best time for telephone follow-up by a nurse. Overall patient experiences and teaching-learning needs also were investigated through open-ended questions. Findings suggest that continuous contact by nurses in the recovery period helped patients discuss and process the surgical experience. Telephone calls may be the most helpful to patients between 12 and 24 hours after surgery.