Preoperative visiting: landmarks of the journey.

Our fifteen bed, five day recovery unit accepts adult and paediatric patients and serves seven theatres dedicated to eye and ENT surgery. The aim of this article is to provide an insight into the practicalities involved in introducing a preoperative visiting programme and associated leaflet. These initiatives aim to give continuity of care, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote patients' coping strategies, by increasing the patients' knowledge and understanding of their perioperative journey (Malin & Teasdale 1991).