Preoperative Care

Preoperative care is the healthcare that is provided to the patient before surgery. It plays an important role in the success of any surgical procedure. The healthcare provider prepares the patient both physically and mentally. Before the operation, different tests are performed to check the physical fitness of the patients and the anesthesiologist would ask your medical history. Special medical care is provided to the patient before the operation.

Purpose of Preoperative Care

The main objectives of preoperative care are:

• Physical and psychological preparation of the patient before surgery to get better surgical outcomes.
• Provide the necessary information regarding the operation to the patient to alleviate the fear.

Preoperative care is necessary before any invasive surgical procedure. This care is tailored for every patient because some require maximum information while others are satisfied with minimum information. 

Physical Preparation

Physical preparation includes: 

• Medical history 
• Physical examination
• Surgical and anaesthesia background

Laboratory tests may include:

• Complete blood count
• Electrolytes 
• Urinalysis
• EKG (if the patient has had cardiac diseases in the past)
• Check x-ray (if a patient has a history of respiratory diseases)

Post-Surgical Preparation

• Bowel clearance in case of lower gastrointestinal tract surgery. 
• Skin cleaning with special soap
• Hair removal from the surgical area

Psychological Preparation

Patients often experience anxiety before surgery. To overcome this, usually psychological preoperative care is provided. Children often feel fearful before surgery and require special preoperative care. A parent should be along with the child all the time before surgery. Children are also encouraged to bring a toy with them on the day of surgery.