Advantages of starting outpatient preoperative evaluation system

BACKGROUND: We started an outpatient preoperative evaluation system in September, 2006, and reviewed whether preoperative examination of outpatients contributed to efficiency of duties of anesthesiologists. METHODS: A questionnaire paper was delivered to each anesthesiologist before and after starting the outpatient preoperative evaluation system. Items investigated are patient background (age, sex, ASA-PS classification, planned anesthesia methods), time required, the factor that took time, the end time of preoperative examination. RESULTS: The number investigated were 245 and 240 cases before and after starting the outpatient preoperative evaluation system, individually. Most reasons why we needed time in the wards were "absence of the patient" (7.3%). We visited an average of 1.15 times to the patient in the wards. The ratio that we finished the preoperative examination after five o'clock in the evening was 29.4% before starting our system. On the other hand, we finished the preoperative examination by approximately five o'clock in the evening and time for one case was shortened from 35.5 +/- 10.9 to 29.5 +/- 8.9 minutes after starting our system. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient preoperative evaluation raises the efficiency of duties of anesthesiologists to finish preoperative examination before hospitalization.