Drafting Pre-Operative Patient Education Materials

The problem

Patients who arrive for orthopaedic surgery understanding what to expect do better. They are less anxious. They comply better with pre-operative preparation. They ask better questions at their pre-assessment. They go home after surgery knowing what is normal and what is not.

Most units have some form of pre-operative patient information. But generic leaflets often do not match the specific surgical approach you use, the specific post-operative pathway your unit runs, or the specific concerns of this patient. A 70-year-old woman having a hip replacement for osteoarthritis has different concerns and questions from a 35-year-old woman having the same operation following avascular necrosis.

Writing tailored pre-operative information for every patient is not realistic. But producing a well-structured draft quickly and adapting it is.

How AI helps

An AI tool can produce a clear, structured pre-operative education document from a brief description of the procedure, the patient, and the key information to cover. You specify what to include. The tool drafts. You check it against your unit's actual pathway and the patient's specific situation.

This is particularly useful for procedures that require significant pre-operative preparation — total joint replacement, spinal surgery, arthroscopy — where patients need to know about fasting, wound preparation, what to bring to hospital, and what happens in the immediate post-operative period.

A real example

Mr Rolf is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who performs elective total knee replacements. His unit has moved to an enhanced recovery pathway with same-day or next-day discharge for suitable patients. His existing patient information sheet was written before this pathway was in place and still implies a three-to-five day hospital stay. Patients are arriving expecting an inpatient week and are surprised — sometimes distressed — when told they are going home the next morning.

He opens an AI tool and types:

Write a pre-operative information document for a patient having a total 
knee replacement under an enhanced recovery pathway that aims for 
same-day or next-day discharge for suitable patients.

Cover:
- What to expect on the day of surgery: arrival time, fasting requirements 
  (general guidance only — not specific times), what to bring
- What happens during the procedure (brief, non-technical)
- What to expect immediately after surgery: recovery room, ward, 
  same-day discharge for suitable patients
- What to bring home: walking aid, medications arranged in advance
- What happens in the first week at home: expected pain level, wound care, 
  walking with aids
- Who to contact for concerns

Tone: calm, reassuring, and practical. Do not include specific 
drug names or anaesthetic details. Maximum 500 words.

The tool produces a document. Mr Rolf reads it. He adds his unit's specific fasting instructions (replacing the general guidance with his anaesthetic department's current protocol) and the pre-admission clinic contact number. He adjusts the section about same-day discharge to add "subject to medical clearance" — the tool had stated it too definitively. The document is ready in ten minutes.

Try it yourself

Things to watch for

Fasting instructions must come from your anaesthetic department. The tool will produce general guidance. Your unit's anaesthetic department has specific fasting protocols that supersede any general guidance. Replace the tool's fasting section with your unit's actual instructions.

Discharge timing should be conditional. "You will go home the next day" is not accurate for all patients. Add "subject to medical clearance and meeting discharge criteria" to any statement about expected discharge timing. The tool may state timelines too definitively without this qualification.

Comorbidities change the picture. A patient with diabetes, anticoagulation needs, or significant cardiac history has pre-operative preparation needs that differ from the standard pathway. The general information document covers the standard case. For patients with significant comorbidities, add specific guidance yourself or ensure the pre-assessment nurse is aware.

Do not include specific anaesthetic information. Pre-operative education letters are not the place for detailed anaesthetic discussions. Direct patients with questions about anaesthesia to the pre-assessment clinic.

Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.