What is Pre Admission Testing Before Surgery?
Pre admission testing is an important part of preparing you for your surgery. It includes blood work, EKGs and physical exams.
During the process nurses interview you, obtain medical history and answer your questions about allergies and previous surgeries.
They also provide information on what to expect during surgery and recovery. The testing appointment lasts one to two hours.
Pre-Admission Testing (PAT)
Pre-Admission Testing (PAT) is a series of tests that are conducted prior to your surgery or scheduled admission. This allows us to get the information we need about your health and well-being in order to give you safe, effective care.
A PAT visit lasts about an hour and a half, depending on the number of tests that are requested by your doctor. Blood work, urine tests, EKG and chest x-rays may be performed during your appointment. The PAT staff will also interview you, gaining important information about allergies and previous surgeries. They will also teach you what to expect during and after your procedure, and give you instructions on how to prepare for surgery.
The PAT nurse will provide you with a special soap called ChlorHexidine Gluconate and instructions on how to bathe at home, before your surgery, to help prevent surgical-site infections. You will also receive a carbohydrate-loading drink to promote healing after your procedure.
Your PAT appointment will take place two to 10 days before your surgery date. The PAT nurse will provide you with individualized patient education to help you better understand your upcoming procedure and recovery process. You will also be asked to sign a consent form for surgery, and may need to bring a photo ID and insurance cards.
It is very important to arrive on time for your PAT visit. This is to ensure that you have time to complete the paperwork and have any questions answered.
You will also need to bring a list of all medications that you are taking. This will allow the PAT team to make sure that you are taking the correct medications and avoid potential side effects.
In addition to the information provided by your PAT nurse, please read the pre-surgery patient handbook for important pre-operative and post-operative information. The handbook will give you detailed information about what to expect before and after your surgery, including what time to arrive at the hospital and how to park.
You should not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before your surgery. You should also not smoke, vape or chew tobacco. You should drink plenty of water and stay hydrated throughout the day leading up to your surgery. You should also follow your PAT nurse’s instructions for how to shower and sleep the night before your surgery.
Pre-Operative Assessment (POA)
Pre-Operative Assessment (POA) is the first step in preparing a patient for surgery. It involves a thorough and detailed history, risk/benefit assessment and investigation of medical problems that may need to be treated before or during the operation. POA usually takes place one or more days before the operation.
Patients are asked to fill in a questionnaire about their health, and may also have tests carried out to check if they need any special treatment. This information is then used to make an informed decision about the best type of operation and anaesthetic to use for their specific needs.
The main purpose of a pre-op evaluation is to detect disease and/or risk factors that increase the risk of perioperative complications, and provide a plan to minimise them. This will allow the physician to optimize the surgical outcome and reduce a patient’s overall hospital stay.
A comprehensive examination should involve the medical history, physical and functional evaluation, and social support and rehabilitation needs. The patient’s pulmonary and cardiac status should be assessed, as well as any medications that they are taking or have recently taken. If a patient has a chronic respiratory condition or is on long term antihypertensive medication, these should be reviewed.
Other important components of the patient’s health include their general health, exercise tolerance and psychological health. It is important to identify mental health issues such as anxiety or depression before undergoing surgery, and to offer formal counselling to patients with these conditions. This is to help them psychologically prepare for surgery and avoid any negative outcomes that can occur from surgery.
In some cases, the anaesthetist will carry out a face to face or video assessment of the patient’s situation, but in many cases this is done over the phone or through a website. In the past, a face to face POA has been more effective and better received by patients (Lemos et al., 2009; Fraczyk & Godfrey, 2010).
Modern Anaesthetists will ask you to fill in an online pre-op health questionnaire, which can be completed from your phone or tablet at a time that’s convenient for you. It’s a fast, simple and efficient way to give your Anaesthetist all the information they need to plan your care before you have surgery.
Post-Operative Assessment (POA)
Pre admission testing before surgery is an important part of ensuring that patients are well enough to undergo their planned operation. This involves asking questions about the patient’s health and medical history, taking a physical examination and arranging any further investigations or treatments that are necessary to optimise their health.
The information collected from these assessments helps to identify any medical comorbidities and to optimise the patient’s physiological state to minimise the impact of their surgical procedures and anaesthetic. It is also an opportunity to recognise patients at risk of complications who would benefit from additional post-operative care (NICE guidelines for pre-operative tests and investigations, 2014).
For healthy people, this assessment usually takes about 5-10 minutes but may take longer in more complex cases. This is a chance for the surgeon and the anaesthetist to get to know each other better and ensure that their medical needs are met during the operation.
In some hospitals, this assessment is performed before the patient’s surgery by a nurse or junior doctor. However, there is a lack of research evidence on whether this leads to better outcomes for patients or if it is less effective than an assessment led by a specialist doctor (Jaensson et al., 2018).
Studies have found that the majority of patients are satisfied with their POA (Fraczyk & Godfrey, 2010; Greenslade et al., 2010). However, patients do not always remember the information that has been provided after their surgery, which can have a negative impact on recovery and overall experience (Greenslade et al., 2010).
There are many different ways that POA can be delivered, ranging from simple telephone calls to appointment meetings at hospital, which can be held with the patient and their family members. The key is that these appointments should be carried out in a safe, confidential and reassuring manner (Prabhakar et al., 2017).
During the pre-operative assessment the patient’s condition and any problems should be discussed with the surgeon and anaesthetist. This will include their current medication and the risks associated with the procedure.
The POA should also discuss the patient’s airway requirements and their risk of a respiratory arrest if they are under general anaesthesia. If this is the case, the anaesthetist should consider putting in place measures to secure the airway before the procedure takes place.
Pre-Admission Texting
Pre-admission testing is a big part of the surgery and recovery experience. The perks include a clearer understanding of your health, faster admission to the operating room and an overall more pleasant experience all around. It is also the time to get your ducks in a row and prepare for a tidal wave of paperwork that will help you through your hospital stay. It is best to schedule your appointment early on in the game. You will likely be required to take your meds before you see the doctor so it is best to be organized and bring a list of medications. You will also want to bring along a list of questions to ask the nurses. During your visit you will also have the opportunity to see our top of the line equipment in action as well as have your blood pressure and glucose levels checked. Depending on your condition the nurse may even suggest a few different treatment plans for you to consider.