surgical / how to series | PEER-REVIEWED |

evidence & practice

Why you should read this article:

● To understand the physical and psychosocial care required to prepare patients for surgery
● To familiarise yourself with the various preoperative tests and clinical assessments that may be required
● Toimprove your understanding of the preoperative information that should be communicated to patients,
family members and/or carers

How to provide preoperative care

to patients
Jacqueline Johnstone

Citation Rationale and key points

Johnstone J (2020) How to
provide preoperative care to
patients. Nursing Standard.
doi: 10.7748/ns.2020.e11657
Peer review
This article has been subject
to external double-blind
peer review and checked
for plagiarism using
automated software
Correspondence
jacqueline.johnstone@gcu.ac.uk
\@JacquelineCYPN
Conflict of interest
None declared
Accepted
10 November 2020
Published online
November 2020
Preoperative care refers to the physical and psychosocial care that prepares a patient to undergo
surgery safely. The preoperative period begins when the patient is booked for surgery and ends with
their transfer to the theatre or surgical suite. As well as the preoperative care that takes place in hospital,
various preoperative tests and clinical assessments can be undertaken during a preoperative outpatient
appointment, one week or more before surgery takes place. Patient information will also be provided
at this time. These outpatient appointments are often led by nurse specialists or advanced nurse
practitioners and may involve remote consultations via telephone or email. All nurses involved in the care
of patients undergoing surgery should:
» Have a clear understanding of their role in each of the operative phases – preoperative, intraoperative
and post-operative.
» Be able to identify the essential elements of preoperative care required to ensure patient safety.
» Understand the indications for, and effects of, any preoperative medicines.
» Provide preoperative information to the patient, family members and carers at a level appropriate to
their cognitive and language abilities.
» Ensure the patient understands any preoperative tests and procedures required.
Reflective activity
‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this
article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:
» How this article can improve your practice when supporting patients who are undergoing
preoperative care.
» How you could use this article to educate your colleagues on the principles of preoperative care.
Author details
Jacqueline Johnstone, lecturer, education, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland

Disclaimer
Please note that information
provided by Nursing Standard
is not sufficient to make the
reader competent to perform
the task. All clinical skills should
be formally assessed according
to local policy and procedures.
It is the nurse’s responsibility to
ensure their practice remains
up to date and reflects the
latest evidence
Permission
To reuse this article or for
information about reprints
and permissions, contact
permissions@rcni.com
Keywords
clinical, clinical skills, day surgery, nursing care, pre-operative assessment, pre-operative care,
professional, surgical, theatre nurses
Nurses have an important role in providing
care during each of the three operative phases –
preoperative, intraoperative and post-operative.
This article focuses on preoperative care, which
refers to the physical and psychosocial care that
prepares a patient to undergo surgery safely. The
preoperative period begins when the patient is
booked for surgery and ends with their transfer
to the theatre or surgical suite.
The procedures involved in preoperative
care will vary depending on the healthcare
organisation’s guidelines, protocols and
checklists; however, this care will follow the same
fundamental principles that are set out in this
article. In the case of emergency surgery, while
time is a crucial factor, the same fundamental
safety principles should be followed, where
possible, and balanced against the risks of
delayed surgery. During preoperative care, it
is essential that any procedures and clinical
decisions are clearly communicated to all
members of the multidisciplinary team.
Preparation and equipment
» The nurse should understand the surgical
procedure the patient is due to undergo and
formulate an appropriate plan for the care
involved. For example, the nurse should

72 / 2020 December / volume 35 number 12 nursingstandard.com