Policy Statement

This policy identifies the assessment, screening tests, and medication management that are standard before an adult patient is admitted for elective surgery. For the purposes of this protocol, ‘Pre-Operative’ refers to the time period from the decision to proceed to surgery until arrival of the patient in the operating theatre.

Pre-Operative Assessment is a vital part of maximizing the safety and efficiency of a patient’s journey before surgery.

A good Pre-Operative Assessment provides baseline information about the patient’s baseline state, identifies perioperative risks, provides specific recommendations to help mitigate these perioperative risks, and serves as a starting point for postoperative management of the patient’s medical conditions. Other benefits include:

• accurate documentation and dissemination of information
• holistic evaluation of patient readiness for surgery
• increased quality of the patient’s experience in hospital
• decreased rates of cancellation
• decreased bed days

The aim should be to provide quality structured care for all surgical patients who attend the Pre-Operative Assessment Clinic (POAC). The guidelines are intended to assist nursing staff in selecting appropriate investigations for patients attending a POAC prior to elective surgery. Additional investigations may be indicated depending on patient, anaesthesia, or surgical factors.

These guidelines have been created to ensure that the scope of practice for Pre-Operative Assessment for elective surgery is underpinned by evidence-based guidance.