Nov 15, 2024 Welcome back to UHC’s House Call on WDTV. Sharing your medication information with all providers helps ensure patient safety, especially for surgery requiring anesthesia.
1). How can patients taking GLP-1s reduce the risk of aspiration and how long should a patient hold their GLP-1 medication before surgery?
First, a patient should always share all medications they are taking with each healthcare provider they visit. The time a person should stop taking their GLP-1 depends on the type of medication a patient takes. Patients should work with their healthcare provider to know when to stop taking their GLP-1 before surgery. Instructions about how long to hold their GLP1s are often provided from the surgeon’s office and/or a preoperative phone call from Preadmission Testing.2). Why is it important for patients to tell their healthcare providers about the medications they are taking?
Patients receive care and medication from medical spas, clinics, urgent care, hospitals, and many providers—nurse practitioners, cardiologists, and oncologists to name a few. What happens in one visit with one provider is not always available to the next provider in the next location. When healthcare providers know what medications, their patients are taking, they can:- Address potential adverse medication interactions.
- Ensure patients take the right steps to prepare for medical procedures, such as surgery.
3). What is UHC doing to prevent GLP-1 medication use before surgery?
Our team is always working to identify ways to improve patient care, safety, and the healthcare experience. We recognized the safety concern for our patients and the inconvenience it was causing. To remedy the situation, the UHC team has taken several actions:- Updating hospital protocols to ensure that all surgical staff ask patients about their medications, including GLP-1s, and inform patients about the need to stop taking GLP-1s before getting surgery requiring anesthesia.
- Educating patients on sharing their medication information with their healthcare providers.
- Working with local clinics and medical spas prescribing GLP-1s to inform their patients that GLP-1s are medication and pose certain risks if not stopped before surgery.
- Informing the media to create awareness about the importance of patients disclosing their medications.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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