Princess Alexandra Hospital

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Pre-admission Clinic

If you are a surgical patient, you may be asked to attend our Pre-admission Clinic one to two weeks prior to your operation.

What is the Pre-admission Clinic?

The Pre-admissions Clinic is an outpatients area staffed by anaesthetic doctors, surgical doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals.

When you attend the clinic, a thorough assessment is done of you health and your current and past medical history. Any problems that are identified from this assessment can be addressed immediately and any further tests or treatment ordered. You will also be provided with information about what to expect up to and following surgery.

Most patients having an operation or other day procedures may need to go to Preadmission Clinic before admission date for surgery or treatment.

What to bring

You should bring the following to your Pre-admission Clinic appointment:

• All completed forms including the patient registration form, patient election form or pre-anaesthetic questionnaire
• Medicare Care and relevant pension, health care or veterans' affairs cards
• Health insurance details if applicable
• Medication that you normally take including all prescription and non-prescription drugs - for example, eye drops, puffers, aspirin, herbal preparations, minerals, vitamins, creams, ointments.
• Reading glasses.

Who will I see at the Pre-Admission Clinic?

Anaesthetist

The Anaesthetist  is a specialist doctor who gives anaesthetics. They will see you in the clinic and ask you about your health, any anaesthetics you have has in the past, and check your fitness to have an anaesthetic. This information is then used to ensure that you receive the anaesthetics that is best for you.

The Anaesthetist will talk to you about the associated risks and answer any questions you may have. It is important that you ask questions you have about your anaesthetics so they can be answered before the day of your operation.

Resident Medical Officer

This doctor is the junior member of the surgical team and he or she will give you a thorough medical examination and may request for you to have further tests or x-rays.

They will also answer any questions you might have about your operation to make sure you understand exactly what you are having done.

Registered Nurse

The nurse will take several observational tests including your temperature, blood pressure, height and weight. Breathing (spirometry) and urine test are also done if required.

Pharmacist

You will need to bring your current medications to the clinic as the pharmacist will need to see them. They will ask you if you have had any allergic reactions to medications in the past. These details are recorded to prepare for your hospital admission.
The pharmacist will inform you if you need to stop taking any medications before the surgery  and may suggest you take additional medication as part of you preparation for surgery.

Change of Details

If you do not arrive for your appointment, you may be taken off the waiting list for the surgery/procedure if you do not advise our booking office. Remember to contact the main switchboard on (07) 3176 2111 if you have changed your address or contact details recently.

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