Being Prepared—
for Your Child's Surgery or Procedure
Depending on your child's surgery or procedure, insurance coverage, and doctor's recommendation, your child will be admitted through one of the following ways.
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Outpatient Admission:
Allows your child to have surgery or a procedure and go home the same day.
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One Day Stay:
(ODS or OD) Allows your child to come in as an outpatient to the hospital the day of the surgery or procedure, stay one night in the hospital, and be discharged the following day.
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Operative Day Admission:
(ODA) Allows your child to be admitted into the hospital the day the surgery or procedure is scheduled.
Insurance cards and prior approval
Be sure that you have approval from your insurance company before your child's procedure.
Physician visit
Before your child's admission an appointment will be made for pretesting. You will initially be meeting with a physician that will perform a history and physical exam. You will be receiving instructions about preparation before the procedure and aftercare instructions. Please ask at this time if you have any concerns about any of the instructions. This may mean such things as play, school limitations or home care needs.
You will then be asked to sign an operative permit before your child's procedure. This permit is the legal document consenting to the procedure. You are encouraged to read this document carefully and ask questions about any part of it before signing. When you sign the document, someone other than the doctor doing the procedure will witness it. After, you will be asked to take your child to the pretesting clinic.
Pretesting Clinic
The next step in the pretesting process is a visit to the clinic. During this time, you will be meeting with a representative from the other departments that will be involved in your child's care.
Nursing: You will meet with a nurse who will take a brief history and assessment of your child's health. Your child's weight and vital signs, which include blood pressure, pulse, temperature and respirations, will be measured during this exam and throughout the hospital stay. These vital signs give the doctors and nurses important information about your child.
They will also provide information about the child's hospital stay, as well as discuss options for overnight lodging in the Syracuse for families that are traveling great distances to get to the hospital. You will also receive information concerning guideline's regarding your child's food and fluid intake the night prior to and the morning of the surgery. A tentative time will be given to report to the hospital as well as directions on the admission process to occur the morning of the procedure.
Anesthesia: You will also be meeting with a Physician's Assistant, Nurse Practitioner or Anesthesia resident who will discuss the anesthesia to be provided to you child during surgery. A health history as well as a brief examination will be conducted at this time. You will be asked to provide information concerning your child's allergies, past and present medical illness, and any other surgeries they have had. A written list of medications and dosages that your child is taking would be helpful to the doctors and nurses that are planning for their care.
Screening Tests: Tests such as lab work or x-rays may be ordered. Not all children require this testing.
Pre-operative Preparation Session
Coming to the hospital can be a scary time for children and parents alike. Because University Hospital understands your concerns about surgery and anesthesia, we have organized the Pre-Operative Program for you and your child.
Contact: Child LIfe Program: 315 464-7506
General information about "Coming to the Hospital "
