Preoperative Preparation for Regional Anesthesia

Patients present for surgery with a myriad of concerns that may impact perioperative pain managementPerioperative pain management and functional recovery. In addition, these patients may present with complicated analgesicAnalgesics regimens, be exposed to unprescribed analgesicsAnalgesics, or have a history of abuse and discussions with patients regarding these factors can simultaneously build rapport and improve adherence with collaboratively constructed analgesicAnalgesics plans. Regional anesthesiaRegional anesthesia is a unique analgesicAnalgesics component which may either be the sole anesthetic for a surgery, or a critical part of postoperative pain managementPostoperative pain management. It may also be an additional source of stress and anxietyAnxiety for patients and their friends and family on the day of surgery. As a component of a comprehensive perioperativePerioperative analgesicAnalgesics discussion, adequate preoperative preparation for regional anesthesiaRegional anesthesia may not only improve patient satisfaction and reduce anxietyAnxiety, but also improve patient outcomes.