Traditional models of assessing all patients by an anaesthetist face to face prior to surgery in many cases is unnecessary. It does not lead to better outcomes and may be inconvenient and expensive.
Appropriate triage of patients undergoing anaesthesia ensures appropriate investigation, assessment and optimisation.
Purpose
To provide guidance on the selection of appropriate assessment methods for patients undergoing elective surgery in Queensland public hospitals. It provides guidance only and must be tailored to individual hospital requirements.
Guideline and tools
- Triage guidelines for pre-anaesthetic evaluation (PDF, 215KB)
- Adult Integrated Pre-procedural Screening Tool
- Process Flow Chart (PDF, 195KB)
Related documents
- ANZCA guidelines on Pre-Anaesthesia Consultation and Patient Preparation (PS07)
- Diabetes Australia Best Practice Guidelines
Clinical references
- American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Preanesthesia, Practice Advisory for Preanesthesia Evaluation: an updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Preanesthesia Evaluation
- Effectiveness of nurse-led preoperative assessment services for elective surgery: a systematic review update
- Development and effectiveness of an anesthesia preoperative evaluation clinic in a teaching hospital. The Journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists
- Pre-operative screening: criteria for referring to anaesthetists.
- Telephone pre-operative assessment for adults: reviewing the evidence through systematic review. ACORN; The Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia.
