Benefits of preoperative education for adult elective surgery patients.

Patient education is a major concern for perioperative nurses in an ambulatory surgery setting. It has proven difficult to develop formal preoperative teaching programs in this environment, but research has shown that preoperative education can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction with the surgical experience. Typical patient education consists of pamphlets that are given to the patient before surgery and verbal instructions from the physicians and nurses on the day of surgery. Ideally, preoperative patient education should begin in the surgeon's office, continue through preadmission testing, and be completed at admission. Having a well-designed preoperative education program enables perioperative nurses in ambulatory surgery centers to provide a thoughtful approach to perioperative teaching in a limited time. AORN J 90 (September 2009) 381-387. (c) AORN, Inc, 2009.