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For Patients

Preparing for Surgery

Information About Your Upcoming Surgery

Thank you for choosing ChristianaCare for your health care needs. Before you arrive at a ChristianaCare hospital or surgicenter for your surgery, it may be helpful to review the information below and check our virtual tours to help you to prepare.

This guide will prepare you for the many procedures and processes before and after your surgery.

Pre-registration and Insurance Verification

A representative from ChristianaCare’s Admitting Department will contact you by phone to preregister you for your procedure. Please be prepared to provide your health insurance information.

During this preregistration, you will also be scheduled for a telephone interview with a nurse from the Perioperative Evaluation and Preparation (PEP) team. This interview is a required part of your surgical preparation and will take about 30 minutes. The PEP nurse will review your medical history and give you instructions for the day of your surgery. Please make every effort to schedule this interview and keep the scheduled appointment. The nurse will call within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

Preparing for Your PEP Interview

Please have the following information ready before your call from the PEP nurse:

  • A list of your medications, including dosages and when you take them. Please include any vitamins, herbal supplements and medications you take without a prescription.
  • A list of any previous surgeries you have had.

Your nurse will also ask you about your medical history. You will need a pen and paper to write down instructions from the nurse. You will be asked to repeat back your instructions.

This phone call is a good time for you to ask any questions you might have. If you have any questions regarding your instructions after your telephone interview, please call the PEP team at 302-623-7700.

Presurgical Testing

The type of procedure you are having and your medical history will determine what presurgical testing you will need. If your doctor gives you a form listing tests you will need, please bring it with you for presurgical testing.

Please check with your insurance carrier to determine where you can have your presurgical testing. If you come to ChristianaCare Lab Services for your testing, bring all forms the doctor may have given you. If you have your lab work completed at a facility other than ChristianaCare, please notify the selected lab that all lab results must be faxed to ChristianaCare PEP at 866-360-7822.

All testing must be completed within 30 days of the procedure, but no later than seven days before your procedure. A parent, guardian or authorized adult must be present when a minor patient has presurgical testing.

On The Day of Your Procedure

Please follow all instructions provided by your surgeon and the PEP nurse.

Please arrive at the hospital at the time instructed by your doctor. If you are having your procedure in Christiana Hospital or Wilmington Hospital, you should arrive two hours prior to your procedure start time. If you are scheduled in one of our surgicenters, you should arrive 90 minutes prior to your procedure start time. Please do not arrive any earlier than 5 a.m. at Christiana Hospital or 6 a.m. at any other site.

Leave all valuables and money at home. ChristianaCare is not responsible for personal property, valuables or assistive devices brought to the hospital and left with the patient.

A family member or friend may stay with you until you are taken to the operating room. They may then wait in the surgical waiting lounge. The surgeon or a nurse will come to the waiting lounge to update your family member or friend on your condition.

A parent or guardian must accompany any patient under 18 to the hospital or Surgicenter and may not leave the facility while the child is in the operating room.

Please check with your nurse after surgery to learn about visiting policies. Please discuss any problems or concerns with your nurse.

If you will be spending the night, private rooms are available for an additional charge over semi-private room rates (subject to availability).

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