The History of Preoperative Teaching

Preoperative teaching is the physical and psychological preparation of a patient prior to surgery. It includes instruction about the preoperative period, the surgery itself and postoperative care.

Background

• Preoperative teaching began in the 1960s, when hospital stays were much longer. Patients would often be admitted up to a week before the surgery, and not released until two weeks after the surgery. In the days before the operation, hospital staff could address a patient's concerns and complete all preparatory work. In the time after the procedure, patients received counseling on how to care for themselves and how to get the support they needed.

Current Practice

• Today, hospital stays are much shorter, leaving little time for patient education during a stay. Typically only around .5 percent of a hospital's budget goes to in-patient education programs, and much of the preoperative teaching takes place through printed or online materials given to the patient to review on his own time.

Benefits

• Patients who are physically and psychologically prepared for surgery tend to have better surgical outcomes. Preoperative teaching can alleviate most patient fears. Patients who know more about what to expect after surgery often cope better with pain and post-surgery lifestyle changes.