Candidate card · Day surgery unit, pre-operative assessment
You are a nurse in a day surgery unit. The patient is booked for an inguinal hernia repair under general anaesthetic next week and has come for a pre-operative assessment. They seem very anxious.
Task
- Find out what is worrying the patient most.
- Explain what will happen on the day of surgery.
- Give clear fasting instructions.
- Check that someone can take them home and stay with them overnight.
- Reassure them about pain control after the operation.
Preparation: 3 minutes · Role-play: about 5 minutes
What to expect from the patient
- The patient had a bad experience with nausea after a previous anaesthetic and is thinking of cancelling.
- They live alone and haven’t arranged anyone to stay with them yet.
Sample phrases for each stage
Opening
“You seem a little worried today. Would you like to tell me what’s on your mind about the operation?”
Empathising
“Feeling sick after your last anaesthetic must have been really unpleasant — I can see why you’re nervous about it happening again.”
Explaining
“I’ll let the anaesthetist know, as they can give you medicine during the operation to reduce the chance of sickness.”
Instructing
“Please don’t eat anything after midnight. You can have sips of water until 6 am, and then nothing at all.”
Negotiating
“Because you’ll have had a general anaesthetic, we need someone to stay with you for the first night. Is there a friend or relative who might be able to help?”
Common mistakes on this card
- Rushing to the fasting instructions before addressing the reason they want to cancel.
- Accepting “I’ll be fine on my own” without explaining why an overnight companion matters.
Say it out loud — with an AI patient
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