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The Benefits of Preoperative Education

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Patient education is a major concern in pre-operative patient care. Preoperative education can improve patient satisfaction with the surgical experience. Typical patient education is provided through leaflets that are given to the patient before surgery and verbal information given by both doctors and nurses on the day of surgery. Pre-operative education is vital to patient comfort and safety of the patient. Appropriate preparation can minimise anxiety and stress, and therefore many of the physical effects, and ensure patients arrive in the operating theatre department ready for surgery.
Physical preparation usually consists of a complete medical history and physical exam, including the patient's surgical background. The patient should inform the nursing staff if he or she has ever had an adverse reaction to anesthesia (such as anaphylactic shock). Laboratory tests may include complete blood count , and urinalysis . The patient may also have an electrocardiogram (EKG) if they are over 50 years of age or if he or she has a history of cardiac disease . A chest x ray may be done if a patient has a history of respiratory disease. Part of the preparation includes assessment for risk factors, such as nutritional deficiencies, steroid , drug or alcohol abuse and metabolic diseases such as diabetes as these may affect healing time. The patient should also provide a list of all medications or food supplements that they use. Supplements are often overlooked, but may cause adverse
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