What Is Preoperative Care?
Preoperative care is care provided to prepare a patient for surgery. Nurses are typically the primary care providers, although an anesthesiologist can also be involved, and the surgeon usually checks in with the patient during preoperative care to go over the details of the surgery. The time frame can vary from weeks to minutes, depending on the circumstances surrounding the surgery. When a surgery is planned, preoperative care includes meetings with the surgeon to talk about the procedure, and a meeting with the anesthesiologist to talk about anesthesia options. A care plan is developed for the patient and the patient also gets information about aftercare, healing time, and other issues. Blood is drawn to make sure the patient is in good physical condition. All of these aspects of preoperative care can take place well in advance.
