Questions to ask a surgeon or dentist

Wherever you are planning to have treatment, it is important that you understand your procedure in detail so that you know what to expect. You need to feel confident in the clinic and surgeon who will be treating you, so ask as many questions as you need to. Any high quality clinic will be pleased to help put your mind at rest.

One question to ask is if initial consultations and follow up care can be provided in the UK. Some doctors come to the UK periodically to visit patients, while others have links with UK based clinics who will undertake consultations and aftercare.

Make sure that you meet your surgeon before the operation takes place. You may be in your destination by then, but you must have the chance to talk to them in advance to ask any questions you may have. It helps to write your questions down so that you don’t forget to ask anything on the day.

Here are some questions you might want to ask:

  • What professional memberships, training and qualifications do they hold?
  • How can these be independently verified?
  • How often have the surgeon and anaesthetist worked together before?
  • How often do they perform this procedure?
  • Will the anaesthetist perform a pre-op and a post-op evaluation?
  • How much recovery time does the procedure entail?
  • How long will you be hospitalised?
  • Do they recommend that you are accompanied by a companion?
  • How soon after the operation can you fly home?

Visit Treatment Abroad’s sister site, www.privatehealthcare.co.uk, or see our other leaflets, for a more comprehensive list of questions to ask your doctor before an operation.