How to prepare for the pre-operative, pre-anesthetic telehealth evaluation.
Teleconsultation: How to Prepare for your Preoperative, Pre-anesthesia Telehealth Visit
Telehealth has become one of the most popular aspects of modern medicine, and with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of telehealth utilization skyrocketed worldwide. While telehealth visits are typically to address chronic conditions or medication refills, now you may even be able to have your pre-operative evaluation (a Teleconsultation) with your surgeon and anesthesiologist via telehealth.
While you obviously cannot undergo surgery remotely, telehealth visits are a great option for preop appointments and discussions with your surgeon and surgical team. Teleconsultations allows for the convenience and comfort of remaining at home, while giving you a great avenue to discuss your questions and concerns with your surgeon.
Questions to ask your surgeon
Some of the most important questions to ask your surgeon are those about the details of your upcoming procedure.
- How will the surgery be performed?
- What are the risks of performing the surgery, and the risks of not getting the surgery?
- What are typical side-effects after surgery and how long do they last?
- How long does the surgery itself take, on average?
- How many times has the surgeon performed this procedure?
- What are the typical outcomes for her/his patients?
Perhaps you also wish to meet your anesthesiologist, the doctor who will likely be sedating you for your surgery. You can ask him or her which medicines will be used during your procedure.
The location of your surgery is very important to know in advance. Perhaps it will be at a hospital known to you, but it may be at a hospital that you have never visited. You may wish to ask your doctor if it's at a hospital or another facility. If it is the latter, is that facility licensed and accredited? Is there an emergency facility nearby or emergency equipment on standby, and what is the emergency plan?
Steps to take yourself
Besides a list of questions for your surgeon, there are things you yourself can do to prepare for your Teleconsultation.
The most important is optimizing yourself – which means getting as healthy as possible. Your surgeon will probably discuss this with you repeatedly in the weeks and months leading up to your procedure. Self-Optimizing usually includes the following:
- Eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water
- Getting lots of exercise, but avoiding types of exercise your doctor says are dangerous before your surgery
- Not drinking alcohol
- Quitting or minimizing smoking
Besides self-optimization, you can do research on your doctors and your surgery center. A simple Google search can tell you a lot about your surgeon and your anesthesiologist. You can also check with your state health department and organizations like The Joint Commission, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), and the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, about the accreditation status of the facility where you’ll have your surgery.
Things to tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist
The Teleconsultation is the perfect time to tell your surgical team all relevant health information.
You should make sure your anesthesiologist is aware of all the medications you take at home. He or she will then instruct you on which ones to take as usual, and which to stop before your procedure.
Also be sure that your whole surgical team is aware of any allergies you have. This may guide which medicines you are given during and after your surgery.
Besides medicines, any vitamins and supplements you take should be mentioned to your surgical team. Importantly, you should tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist any conditions or diseases you have, and even tell them about your sleep habits – such as if you snore. All of these can be relevant to your doctors! Tell them if you’ve had any bad experiences with surgery or anesthesia before, and you can even discuss your concerns and fears with them.
Lastly, ask your surgical team the recovery plan; questions like how long you will stay in the hospital, whether you will need a wheelchair after and for how long, and how long before you can return to work or your normal routine.
