This is an assessment of your general health and fitness. You will be seen in clinic or called on your phone by one of our pre-operative nurses, having received prior notification about your appointment date and time by a letter, phone call or text message.
The nurse will ask you about your medical history, medication that you take, previous surgery and any anaesthetics you may have had. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions and discuss any worries or concerns you may have.
The pre-operative nurse will arrange any tests that you may need before surgery.
If you have a more complex medical history, you may need to be seen in clinic by a consultant anaesthetist. This will be explained by your pre-operative nurse.
Health screening questionnaire
When it has been decided that you require surgery you will be sent a health screening questionnaire by text or email.
This questionnaire provides the clinical teams with more information about you and your overall health. This information will be used to help ensure that you attend the correct type of pre-operative assessment clinic and that your overall health is the best it can be prior to surgery.
Completing this questionnaire will ensure your surgery can go ahead and that you can recover as quickly as possible afterwards. To ensure that all of the information we have about you is up to date, we will send you a new form every three months to notify us if anything has changed with your current health.
Please don’t worry if you are unable to complete this form yourself - your care will not be impacted. You will be contacted by a member of staff to complete the form with you over the telephone.
Why do I need to have a pre-op assessment appointment?
It is important that we know as much as possible about your general health before you have an anaesthetic to help us prepare you safely for this.
We can identify risks, if any, and consider ways that we can reduce these. For some health conditions we may refer you on to see another specialist if we think that this will make your perioperative care safer.
Types of pre-operative assessment clinics
Telephone assessment
You will be asked questions to identify yourself, if you have any allergies and what medication you take before the nurse completes the health screen questionnaire with you.
If necessary, the nurse will make an appointment for you to attend the hospital for further tests such as blood pressure/height and weight measurements, blood test, ECG (a painless test of your heart rate and rhythm that involves stickers across your chest, arms and legs) or MRSA swabs.
Your surgery will be cancelled if you do not attend for these.
Face-to-face assessment
At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital you can use the electronic system to check in or attend the reception desk. Pre-assessment screening is in outpatients area two, on the ground floor past the information desk and pharmacy. At Solihull Hospital the pre-op assessment clinic is in Ward 14 on the first floor. You will be greeted by a clinic co-ordinator who will check you in to the correct clinic. You will then be asked to sit in the waiting room until a member of staff is ready for you.
A health care assistant will call you in, ask you questions to identify yourself and ask for your consent to take your observations, blood pressure, oxygen saturations and other tests relevant your surgery. These include ECG, a urine test, MRSA swabs, swabs of any wounds or broken skin.
A nurse will call you into the consulting room where you will again be asked to identify yourself and with your consent they will complete a health assessment questionnaire with you to expand on the early health screening questionnaire you have already completed. The nurse will discuss your admission with you including what to bring in on the day, your medication and if you need to stop taking any before surgery. Advice will be given regarding smoking cessation and any other lifestyle choices as required. The nurse will discuss with you your discharge home. In order to be discharged home you will need someone to pick you up and stay with you overnight.
The nurse will provide you with any dietary advice and bowel preparation medicines that you may need.
After your appointment with the nurse you may need to see a health care assistant again to have your bloods taken, you may be directed to outpatients for this.
Anaesthetic assessment
An anaesthetist is a specialist consultant doctor who will remain responsible for you while you are under anaesthesia during your operation. For more information on the extensive role of the anaesthetist, please read the following link.
On the day of your operation, the anaesthetist will administer the anaesthetic drug, monitor your vital organs, blood pressure and oxygen levels treating any changes to these as necessary.
Your surgeon will decide as to whether you will need to see an anaesthetist at your pre-operative assessment. This decision is based on the type of surgery you are having and your background medical history.
Your surgery will be cancelled if you do not attend this clinic, your pre-operative assessment appointment or any subsequent appointments linked to your pre-assessment in advance of your surgery.
Investigations clinic
If you have had a telephone assessment and been asked to attend the hospital for investigations, you will be greeted by the clinic co-ordinator and asked to sit in the waiting room until a member of staff is ready for you.
A health care assistant will ask you questions to identify yourself before explaining the tests they are going to do, such as blood pressure, height, weight, ECG, bloods, and MRSA swabs. After gaining your consent the pre-operative assessment staff will carry out the tests needed for your surgery and if you have an ECG you will be asked to wait while this is reviewed by a registered nurse before being allowed to leave.
Your surgery will be cancelled if you do not attend this clinic.
What tests will I need before my operation?
The investigations you may need will depend on a number of factors, such as age, other health conditions and the nature of the procedure. This will all be discussed in full detail with you at your pre-operative assessment appointment.
Examples of some tests you may need:
- blood test
- MRSA swabs
- ECG – a tracing of your heart
Some patients will need further investigations taken based upon the operation that they are having, or underlying health conditions. Examples include:
- X-rays, CT or MRI scans
- echocardiograms: an ultrasound assessment of the heart muscles and valves
- lung function tests: how well your lungs are working, measured by the volume of air you can breathe in and out
- cardio-pulmonary exercise testing: this test is only required in a small number of cases when undergoing complex surgery. It will help us decide on the risks of surgery and where best to care for you afterwards. A specialist will get you to exercise on a pedal or handlebar bike while measuring your heart rate, blood pressure and the carbon dioxide levels you breathe out. This gives us an idea of how well your heart and lungs are working under stress, and will help us to plan whether you need high dependency or intensive care after your operation
- depending on your surgery, you may see a physiotherapist to carry out some exercises with you
Last reviewed 05 September 2024