How Do I Prepare for My Presurgical Evaluation?

It’s normal to feel anxious before surgery, as any procedure comes with some level of uncertainty. 

While we may not eliminate all of the nervousness, our compassionate physician, Dr. Daniel Klein, at East Side Primary Medical Care hopes to allay some fears at your presurgical evaluation.

Our goal at this visit is to gather as much information as possible so your surgeon has everything they need to know to safely perform the procedure. We need your help for this and want to share with you how to prepare for your presurgical evaluation.

Plan ahead: Presurgical evaluation timing

Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule your preoperative appointment. While you don’t want to see your doctor too early, you also don’t want to wait too long.

We recommend scheduling the exam about a month before your procedure. This gives you and us enough time to get you ready for surgery. You may need to modify your medication schedule to reduce risk of bleeding or make changes to your nutrition to improve recovery.

We may also need more information for our assessment, and scheduling your evaluation a month out gives us the time we need to perform additional tests or request additional doctor visits.

Gather your medical records

Your medical history helps us determine if there are any additional safety measures your surgeon needs to take to minimize risks during your procedure. For example, you may need regular blood sugar checks if you have diabetes or blood pressure monitoring for heart disease.

Gather your records and create a list of all the medications you take to share with us. 

We also want to know about previous surgeries and any issues that occurred before, during, or after. 

Write down questions

We ask a lot of questions during a presurgical evaluation, and you may forget to ask your own. So write your questions down and bring them to your appointment. We want to make sure we answer all of your concerns so you feel as comfortable as possible for surgery.

Prepare for referrals and tests

This relates back to the timing of your presurgical appointment and why we need you to schedule it about a month ahead of time. You may need to set aside time to schedule visits with other specialists, like a cardiologist. You also probably need to have presurgery bloodwork and possibly diagnostic tests like X-rays. 

The need for additional doctor’s appointments and tests doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong. We want to make sure your surgeon has a complete picture of your health so they can create a surgical plan that gets the best results.

A presurgical evaluation isn’t a clearance for surgery, but an information gathering session that benefits you, your surgeon, and your recovery. All surgical procedures are risky, and a preoperative evaluation aims to minimize these risks.

Do you have an upcoming surgery? Call us today at 680-206-2794 or book an appointment online to schedule your presurgical evaluation. Our office is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.