Preparing for Your Surgery at Palos Hospital

Before Your Surgery

Preparing for Your Surgery at Palos Hospital

Before your scheduled surgery, a Pre-anesthesia Screening nurse will call you for your pre-surgical interview. Please have a list of your medications readily available, including names and dosages.

If you have any concerns about your upcoming surgery, please discuss them with your physician. They can help you understand the risks and benefits involved with your procedure.

Pre-anesthesia Screening

Your care team needs a lot of information to prepare for your procedure. A Pre-anesthesia Screening nurse will call you before your surgery to get this information. During this phone call, be sure to provide the most accurate and complete information possible. This will help ensure you receive the best possible care.

The nurse will ask for the following information:

  • General health information
  • Your medical history, including all other surgeries
  • Allergies to medications
  • Recent illness, including fever, colds or rash
  • Names and current dosages of prescription and over-the-counter medications
  • Any chronic medical problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea
  • Durable Power of Attorney (if applicable)

Your primary care physician, your surgeon and/or your anesthesiologist may have ordered some pre-operative tests that need to be completed before surgery. These tests may be completed at Palos Hospital or another site as determined by your insurance company. During this call, the nurse will verify any testing you have completed or may need.

The nurse also will provide you with helpful information, such as:

  • Arrival time
  • Where to check in
  • Dietary instructions
  • What medications to take the morning of surgery

Confirming Your Arrival and Surgery Time

You may be asked to come to the hospital up to two hours before your surgery is scheduled to begin. This will allow your care team to prepare you for surgery.

To find out what time to arrive and what time your surgery will start, you will be asked to call Northwestern Medicine Outpatient Surgery (708.923.5740) between 1 and 6 pm the day before surgery. If your surgery is scheduled on a Monday, you should call the Friday before.

Surgery times may change to meet the needs of all patients and can be impacted by emergencies. If your surgery time changes, the hospital will contact you. We will work with you to minimize any inconvenience. If there are delays on the day of surgery, we will call you if time allows.