After completing this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
1. Define terms and abbreviations related to preoperative medications.
2. State the purposes of preoperative anesthesia evaluation.
3. List the components of a preoperative evaluation.
4. Define and discuss preoperative medications.
5. Explain the purpose and state examples of each group of preoperative medications.
Preoperative preparation is necessary to maximize the safety and comfort of every surgical patient. The surgical technologist may on occasion work in a preoperative care unit or assist in preoperative preparation of patients requiring elective or emergency surgery. To effectively assist the anesthesia care team, surgical technologists should understand the classifications, purposes, and common pharmacological agents used to prepare the patient for surgery.