Your Pre-Admission Visit
Unless you are given other instructions, you must come to your Pre-Admission Clinic visit or your operation may be cancelled.
You will need to visit the Pre-Admission Clinic unless you are going to be admitted to the hospital before your operation.
Your visit will be about
2 weeks before the operation date and may take from
3 to 5 hours, depending on your needs. A family member or friend is welcome to come with you.
If your appointment is less than 1 week before your operation and you are taking blood thinning medication, please tell your surgeon’s office. You may need to stop taking blood thinners about 5 days before your operation.
Pre-Admission Clinic
Toronto General Hospital
Eaton Building – Ground Floor, Room 400
TGH Maps & Directions
IMPORTANT: If you cannot come to this visit, call 416 340 4800 ext. 3529 to reschedule. You cannot have the operation without a pre-admission visit.
On the day of your pre-admission visit, take your medications and eat as usual, unless you were given other instructions.
- Your health card (OHIP card). If you do not have an OHIP card, please bring another form of government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
- Any other insurance cards. You will need the policy number of your extended health insurance, if you have any.
- Your spouse/partner, a trusted friend or a family member to offer you support and be a second set of ears.
- All the medications you take in their original containers. This includes prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements and herbal or natural products.
- A copy of your power of attorney for personal care and/or advanced directives.
- A list of any questions that you may have about the operation and recovery.
- The name or phone number of your pharmacy, as well as any medical specialists that you have seen in the past 3 years. If you have had a cardiac stress test, echocardiogram and/or a pulmonary function test in the past 3 years, it would be helpful to bring a copy of the final report with you to this appointment.
- You will have blood tests and routine skin swabs. The swabs are taken from your nose and other areas of your body to check for germs that can cause infections.
- You may also need an
electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart and a
chest x-ray to check your lungs.
- You will meet many health care providers during your pre-admission visit. Please feel free to ask them any questions that you may have:
- A pre-admission nurse will review your health history and give you information to prepare you for your operation, including directions for cleaning your skin, eating before operation, taking your medications and pain management.
- A pharmacist will review your medications.
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Depending on your needs, you may also meet:
- An anesthetist who will review your health history, discuss your anesthetic plan and pain relief after operation.
- A member of the medicine team, if you have other complex health problems.
- A Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), or Nursing Coordinator, who specializes in the care of patients having your specific operation. They will review any preparation that is required before your operation, plans for discharge home after operation and specific instructions regarding your recovery.
