• Sue Saunders.
• Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
• Nurs Times. 2004 Aug 3; 100 (31): 40-3.

AbstractNurses play an essential role in preparing patients for surgical procedures, whether the operation is planned or an emergency. Part of this preparation may include administration of premedication. Government initiatives such as The NHS Plan (Department of Health, 2000) and Essence of Care (DoH, 2001) emphasise the need to get the fundamental aspects of nursing care right, and nurses have a professional responsibility to deliver evidence-based care (NMC, 2002). Additionally, the publication of Building a Safer NHS for Patients: Improving Medication Safety (DoH, 2004) aims to improve patient safety by reducing the incidence of drug errors. This article looks at why pharmacological intervention is no longer a routine preoperative preparation. It will discuss drugs that are used to aid anaesthesia and those used as prophylaxis to aid postoperative recovery, consider the ways in which premedication can now include psychological interventions, and look at the nurse's role.

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