Recommendations of the Pre-anaesthesia Teleconsultation Task Force

Abstract

The main objectives of the pre-anaesthesia consultation are to establish the patient's anaesthesia and surgical risk, evaluate and optimize their health status, provide the patient with information and preoperative recommendations, and fulfil the legally established bureaucratic obligations. The incorporation of information technologies - e-Health - has maximised the efficiency of pre-anaesthesia assessments and provided patients with an added benefit. The SEDAR Task Force has developed a digital framework as an alternative to the conventional pre-anaesthesia assessment process, and has put forward a series of policies and technical recommendations for the incorporation of different types of pre-anaesthesia teleconsultation services in hospital anaesthesiology departments. We also put forward an evaluation tool that includes several quality indicators on which to base continuous improvements in healthcare.

Keywords: Anaesthesia information management systems; Consulta telemedicina remota; Evaluación preanestésica; Preanaesthesia assessment; Sistema de gestión de información sobre anestesia; Teleconsultation; Telemedicina; Telemedicine; eHealth; mHealth.