Day Surgery admissions have been specifically designed with a short stay in mind. However, if the need arises for you to remain in hospital overnight, you will be transferred to the ward. We ask you set aside the whole day for your admission.

 

Day of admission

• Wear loose comfortable clothing

• Bathe or shower prior to arrival

• Unless otherwise advised, take normal medications with minimal water

• Do not wear make-up, jewellery or nail polish

• Do not smoke or drink or chew gum 24 hours prior to admission

• We strongly recommend that you do not bring any valuables to hospital. Bathurst Private Hospital does not accept responsibility for patient's valuables.

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Bring with you

• Medications which may need to be taken immediately following procedure (e.g. insulin)

• X rays ( if required by your doctor)

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Fasting

• The Admission Nurse will call you within 1-3 days prior to your scheduled surgery & advise you of your specific fasting time and of your arrival time at the hospital.

 

Admission

• On arrival at Day Surgery, the Admission Officer will greet you and finalise admission details including payment of any health fund excess or other payments.

• The Pre- Admission Nurse will then take you to the Interview room and confirm your details, procedure, consent form, allergy status, fasting status.

• Once the Pre-admission Nurse has finished your admission, you will be taken to the shared pre admission waiting area and provided with a gown to put on. A bag will be provided for your clothes.

• You will be settled on a patient trolley and a base line set of observations will be recorded by the admission nurse prior to being seen by the anaesthetist.

• The Anaesthetic Nurse will then take you on the patient trolley into the operating room were you will be looked after throughout your procedure by our nurses, your surgeon and anaesthetist.

 

Post Surgery

After your procedure you will be taken to the recovery area. During this time, our nursing staff will continually monitor your progress and comfort. Your length of stay in the recovery area will depend on your operative procedure. Usually patients are discharged between one to three hours after treatment.

 

• As soon as your observations are stable and you are alert following your procedure, you will be transferred from 1st stage recovery to a recliner chair in the 2nd stage recovery area where you will be offered light refreshment.

• The recovery nurse will contact your escort when you are ready to be discharged.

• You will not be able to drive home so please make arrangements for a responsible adult to drive you home.

• For 24 hours, do not drive a car, drink alcohol, make any important decisions or sign any legal documents.

• If you live alone and are having IV sedation or a general anaesthetic, you will need to arrange to either stay with someone or have someone stay with you the night of your surgery.

 

To be ready for discharge patients will:

• Be alert and orientated

• Tolerate fluids

• Have a responsible adult to take them home and care for them at home

• Have clear written discharge instructions and details of who to contact in case of emergency

• Have a follow up appointment made if appropriate

 

Once your escort arrives at the Day Surgery, the recovery nurse will, if needed, go through your discharge instructions with them.  You will be advised that after general anaesthetic of IV sedation, you should not drive or operate machinery, sign important documents or make decisions until at least the morning following your procedure.

Prior to discharge you will be given a patient satisfaction survey to complete which is optional.  Your feedback is important to us and valued as it helps improve our level of service.

 

After You Get Home

Depending on the surgery performed, some patients may experience certain sensations including: pain, nausea, sore throat, muscle pain, disturbed ability to concentrate. If you experience any other problems following surgery or you have any concerns please call your doctor, or your nearest hospital emergency department.

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