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The written and verbal information given to patients before their admission to hospital should explain the purpose and nature of their recovery and the recovery department. You and your anaesthetic, published by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists is an example of this.51 Further details on information to be given preoperatively can be found in...
Some patients, both adults and children, may need interpreters, parents or other members of their family to be with them. This need is best determined at preassessment, so that sensitivities can be taken into account in the operative process.52
Patient information regarding postoperative and post-discharge care, including contact details and protocols if complications arise, should be provided.
The following time allocation (per week) is a guide to the minimum physician anaesthetist staffing that should be provided per 1,000 inpatients passing through a preoperative preparation clinic:
- reviews and consultations 1 session per 1,000 inpatients per year (1.25 programmed activities) e.g. 3000 patients = 3 sessions
- high risk clinics 1 session per 1000 inpatients (1.25 programmed activities)
- clinical leadership for the...
Local protocols should determine the grade, experience and competency-based training of the nurse undertaking preoperative assessments and accompanying the patient to the operating department.9 For 1,000 patients, the following minimum staffing is required:10
- 0.6 registered nurses
- 0.3 healthcare assistants
This staffing to patient ratio is based on 80% of patients as day cases and 20% as inpatients assuming...
Perioperative time should be allocated for the work the anaesthetist undertakes on the day of surgery for both preoperative and postoperative care. The times allocated might vary per patient but for most theatre lists, it approximates to one hour per four hours spent in the operating theatre suite or two hours per eight hours in the operating theatre suite.
There should be established liaison with social services for patients who need such support to prevent delay in discharge.
There must be the ability to provide the patient with the appropriate chaperone, as per GMC guidance on intimate examinations and chaperones.11 When examining a patient, anaesthetists must be sensitive to what the patient may consider as intimate, which could include any examination where it is necessary to touch or even be close to the patient.
Ultrasound scanning, nerve stimulators and all equipment and drugs necessary for local and regional anaesthetic techniques should be readily available.
Equipment necessary to provide a range of patient analgesia should be available. There should be adequate facilities for postoperative monitoring of patient analgesia.7,101
