Routine preoperative tests

It recommends some further research in the field, the convening of a Consensus Development Conference on critical topic issues, and the measurement of the impact of a consensus statement, as well as of other initiatives that may be taken over the coming years to optimize preoperative testing in the health services of Alberta. [...] Objectives And Scope Of The Paper The objective of this report is to review the important issues relating to preoperative testing, provide an overview of the most significant studies published on the subject, examine the cost implications of unnecessary testing, and examine strategies to optimize preoperative testing. [...] Literature Synopsis Health Technology Assessments The need to reduce unnecessary testing prompted the undertaking of several HTA reviews to synthesize the literature and evaluate the impact of limiting preoperative testing, particularly in healthy patients undergoing elective surgery.9;10;31;42;63;72;77;96;109;113 The first of these assessments, published in 1989 by the Swedish Council of Technolo [...] The SBU report10 and a precursor to the NICE assessment72 were incorporated in a report published by the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA ) in 2000, which summarized the findings of six member agencies (Basque Country, Catalonia, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK) that had conducted reviews of preoperative testing between 1989 and 1999.11 Among t [...] The objectives were to: 1) produce an evidence-based evaluation of the effectiveness of preoperative chest X-rays, ECGs, and laboratory tests; and 2) describe the current state of preoperative testing in Sweden.