Perioperative medicine

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 34 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1553-5592
• DOI: 10.1002/jhm.28

✦ Synopsis

Perioperative medicine refers to the medical evaluation and management of patients before, during and after surgical intervention. In the United States, over 44 million patients undergo non-cardiac surgery each year. The annual cost of perioperative cardiovascular morbidity is more than $20 billion. Hospitalists perform general medical consultation preoperatively and provide postoperative medical management. Optimal care for the surgical patient is realized with a team approach that coordinates the expertise of the hospitalist and the surgical team. Hospitalists apply practice guidelines to medical consultation and can lead initiatives to improve the quality of care and patient safety in the perioperative period.