From home to surgery

In the case of most elective surgical procedures performed at Tays, the patient comes to the hospital directly from home on the morning of the day of the procedure. This method is often referred to by the abbreviation “leiko”, short for “leikkaukseen kotoa” (from home to surgery).

The patient is usually invited to attend a preliminary visit before the procedure. During this visit, the planned procedure is reviewed, the patient’s eligibility for “leiko” surgery is confirmed and instructions about preparing for the procedure are provided.

If needed, other persons participating in the patient’s treatment, such as the surgeon, anaesthesiologist and physiotherapist will be invited to attend the preliminary visit. The preliminary visit can also be conducted as an interview over the phone.

To qualify for “leiko” surgery, the patient must be able to move about independently and prepare for the procedure at home as instructed.

This type of surgery is not suitable for patients with insulin-treated diabetes, patients receiving Marevan therapy, or patients with a disease that requires isolation.

Patients coming from home to surgery will receive an invitation letter, which includes instructions about preparing for the procedure and arriving at the hospital.

In some cases, a nurse may call the patient or the patient may be asked to call the nurse on the day before the procedure. The purpose of this check-up telephone call is to make sure, that the patient is coming to the procedure, to agree on a specific time of arrival, and to review the instructions about preparing for the procedure one more time (for example, to check which medications the physician has asked the patient to take on the morning of the day of the procedure).

If the appointment scheduled for the preliminary visit and the procedure are not far apart, a separate check-up telephone call is unnecessary, and compliance with the instructions about preparing for the procedure will be checked after the patient arrives.

The patient will come directly to the surgical ward from home at the appointed time.

After the procedure, the patient will be transferred to the recovery room for observation. He/she will then be transferred to the inpatient ward of the medical specialty the procedure falls under for further treatment.