Table 8.

Recommendations for preoperative evaluation [5, 11, 17, 24, 25, 27, 37, 42, 46, 48, 49]

Key points	Specific objectives
Psychiatric symptoms	Rule out complicating mental health condition(s) Stabilize mental health condition(s) Refer for appropriate psychological and psychiatric interventions, if needed Assess patient and family ability to cope with long-term medical treatment
Preoperative education	Assess what patient and family learned from other team members Provide repeated and consistent education regarding all aspects of treatment Set realistic expectations
Pain management	Refer to patient’s previous surgical procedures and related challenges for baseline information Understand patient’s ability to cope with pain and how he or she communicates to medical team and family Teach pain management strategies, including proper analgesic use, at an age-appropriate level
Family support	Verify family’s commitment and support to patient Identify primary caretaker(s) and discharge plan Teach appropriate responses to patient’s pain complaints Account for other family stressors
Adherence	Assess patient’s and family’s ability to follow directions, maintain appointments, and follow up with scheduled appointments
Goals of treatment	Ascertain that patient and family goals are the same as the medical team’s goals, including expectation of setbacks
Logistics	Evaluate potential interferences to long-term treatment such as work, school, and siblings Assist with planning and accommodations
Sleep hygiene	Refer to patient’s previous surgical procedures and related challenges for guidelines Understand patient’s preexisting sleep schedule and how treatment might interfere with sleep habits Teach age-appropriate sleep hygiene and habits