The document provides an overview of the preanesthetic period for surgical nursing and anesthesia. It discusses obtaining patient information through history and physical examination, performing diagnostic tests, selecting an anesthetic protocol based on factors like the procedure and patient status, providing preanesthetic patient care like fasting, and commonly used preanesthetic agents including atropine, glycopyrrolate, benzodiazepines, phenothiazines, and alpha-2 agonists.