Standards of Care

Locale--Predominantly practitioner's office and outpatient.

Laboratory Tests--Based on the patient's medical history and the doctor's clinical judgment. X-rays are recommended for bone surgery, weight bearing, partial weight bearing, or non weight bearing.

Scheduling--Surgery can be performed at any time and location on which the doctor and patient mutually agree.

Sterile preparation -Appropriate surgical scrub and draping of the surgical field depends on the surgical technique utilized.

Sedation--Optional, depending on type of procedure, patient's desire, and patient's medical history.

Anesthesia--Local and other forms of anesthesia may be administered by appropriately trained personnel.

Serial surgery--The staging of medical and/or surgical procedures, commonly referred to as serial surgery, may be indicated in certain conditions. The Academy of Ambulatory Foot and Ankle Surgery recognizes this as a mode of treatment when the doctor and the patient are in agreement.

Multiple surgery--The performance of multiple podiatric medical and/or surgical procedures during any single treatment session is defined by The Academy of Ambulatory Foot and Ankle Surgery as being proper and justifiable when the patient has multiple complaints. Patient history and examination, coupled with sound clinical judgement, should augment this decision. Of course, both patient and doctor must mutually agree.

Instrumentation--Specialized podiatric surgical instruments including side cutting bone scalpels (surgical burs) may be utilized.

Incision size--Incision may vary from a puncture to a larger incision.

Sutures--Sutures or other specialized skin closures are at the discretion of the surgeon.

External Fixation--Bandage, Unna boot, splints, postoperative shoe, or cast may be employed. Internal fixation is not general!y required and is at the discretion of the surgeon.

Oral analgesics--are often sufficient. Wet dressings may be utilized at the discretion of the surgeon, depending on the nature of the procedure.

Perioperative and/or prophylactic antibiotics--In the presence of a purulent or suspicious exudate culture and sensitivity testing is indicated, appropriate antibiotics should be utilized in the treatment of infections. Perioperative and/or prophylactic antibiotics may be utilized at the discretion of the surgeon.

Medical Records--Entries on patient records may be handwritten, typed, or computerized and abbreviated depending on the office policy of the podiatrist who creates and utilizes the records. Standardized operative reports and postoperative instructions regarding routine surgical procedures are acceptable if the type of procedure is identified and any significant differences are included.