Pre-op........what to expect

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2009

Fast paced, lots of IV starts....patient's past med history: very, very important....

PAERRN20 · Sep 1, 2009

Expect lots of IV starts. Sorry I can't add much more than that! I spent a little bit of time on a pre-op unit and that is all I did as a GN. I'm sure someone else will be able to add much more.

sandys · Sep 1, 2009

We check medical history, assess the patient, NPO status, vitals, labs, anxiety, start IV, possibly premeds such as reglan or an antibiotic. If you get postop patients as well, you'll be busy monitoring them and checking in new patients as well. Busy and task-oriented.

justiceforjoy · Sep 1, 2009

No patient education?

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2009

No patient education?

A highly anxious patient is difficult to teach. Not optimal at that point--occasionally

you may have a patient willing to learn....but the fast pace of pre-op isn't too conducive

sometimes.....

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2009

I had surgery at St. Joseph's when I was a teenager (awesome hospital, BTW).

However...I'm on the gurney waiting to go into the OR (guess the prior case ran a little behind or something), and person 1 comes by...name, birthdate, why are you here? Answer the questions.

Person 2 comes by. name, birthdate, why are you here? Answer the questions again.

Person 3 comes by, asks the same thing. This time, I sit up and start trying to get off the gurney, which attracts all kinds of attention.

When they asked me what I was doing, i told them, "Okay, 3 of you didn't know who I was or what surgery was planned, I'm outta here." They explained they were just doing normal checks, but even simple stuff to us can be totally unnerving to a pt.

roser13, ASN, RN · Sep 1, 2009

Very fast-paced, usually a surgeon or anesthesiologist pacing outside the door, waiting for you to finish the admit. Nevertheless, you must obtain a decent history. And yes, some questions get repeated over and over. Why? Because patients change their histories, often answering the same question differently every time it's asked. Most notably, the MD will get a different answer than the nurse does.

Starting the IV, running Istats, UPT's, EKG's. Don't forget to note the results - it's easy to get so caught up in the mechanics of the tasks that you forget to look at the results with your nursing eye.

And yes, pre-op teaching, if you have time and the patient (and family members) is calm enough to be receptive. They may not retain alot of the pre-op info but it will be solidified later with the discharge teaching.

And of course, documentation and charging.

sasha2lady · Sep 1, 2009

I did some preop stuff in clinicals for nursing school...the main thing I saw was lots of IVs and ?'s. When the tables were turned on me and I was the patient in preop...that was a whole other story. I was having a c section and terrified out of my mind. Even though I knew what to expect and what they were going to be doing it didnt help. I was down in preop and a guy was next to me and I could hear them and see the doctors and nurses shadows thru the curtains trying to do his spinal anesthesia which was what I was about to have done. They couldnt get it for some reason and that sent me into a panic. Not only that...I had been getting nonstop IVF....and at this point I was up to about 5000cc of LR being pumped in me....I had to pee soooo bad and I just could NOT wait any longer.....thank god...a nurse came by and I told her I had to go....how about no patient bathrooms down there???? She took me to the employee bathroom and shortly after to the OR I went. I kept asking what the spinal would feel like..and every single person told me "oh..well..its kind of like putting an IV in your back."....DONT TELL YOUR PREOP PATIENTS THAT lol. I myself happen to be mortified by needles. I can use them on others but I get in a panic if I know they are aimed at me. That was probably the worst thing they said to me.