What is our admission process?
The day has finally arrived, you are having your much anticipated surgical procedure. At Somerset Surgery we strive to make the admission process as seamless as possible but even for minor procedures there are some essential investigations, we need to do to make sure your operation goes as smoothly as possible.
Here’s why each one is important:
1. Why do we need your medical history?
- Your medical history provides important background information about past illnesses, surgeries, medications and allergies.
- It helps doctors identify risk factors that may affect your anaesthesia and/or your post- operative care and recovery.
- It allows healthcare providers to give safer and more personalized care, avoiding treatments or medications that could cause complications due to allergies or past negative reactions.
2. Why do we take your blood pressure?
- Blood pressure measurement helps detect hypertension (high blood pressure) or hypotension (low blood pressure), which can indicate heart disease, kidney problems, or other health issues.
- Having a surgical procedure can be stressful and your blood pressure might be “unusually raised” on the day of your procedure. It’s a good idea to have your blood pressure checked regularly to know what your “normal” is.
- Most surgical procedures will involve blood loss. Knowing your blood pressure the surgeon and anaesthetist will know what to expect intraoperatively. Higher blood pressure reading could mean a bit more bleeding and by controlling the blood pressure to within normal ranges, bleeding can be controlled to minimise loss.
- Knowing what your blood pressure was upon admission, also allows the doctors and nurses to track your recovery post-operatively and only discharge you once your blood pressure has returned to normal after waking from anaesthesia.
3. Why do we check your urine?
- It helps detect blood, protein, sugar, or bacteria that may indicate underlying health conditions.
- A urine test can reveal signs of infection or dehydration,
- Urinalysis helps doctors and nurses understand your general state of health and help anticipate giving any additional treatment or medication that will improve recover postoperatively.
These checks help doctors keep track of your health and catch potential issues before they
become serious. If you are undergoing elective surgery and if any of the above investigations
reveal health issues that could negatively affect your procedure and its outcome, our doctors and staff will have no hesitation in postponing your surgery until you are in a better state of health to make a full recovery.