Introduction

The Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at the University of Chicago has been a leader in development of the perioperative medicine clinic. The goals of the clinic are:

1. Enhance the comfort and safety of patients coming for surgery.
2. Optimize the use of medical resources in providing that care.

These goals are met by evaluating the patient in a clinic setting several days prior to their surgery. The patient then meets a nurse who acts as a preoperative care coordinator, initiating the history. An anesthesiology doctor examines the patient and determines if any tests are required or if any additional consultation with other physicians is required. The anesthesiologist then formulates a preliminary anesthetic plan, discusses this with the patient and answers any questions. The nurse ensures that the tests and consultations are arranged and that the results from these are reviewed by a physician. The visit may take 45 minutes for a generally healthy patient to over 2 hours for a medically complex patient.

Timely evaluation prior to their surgery allows the patient the opportunity to discuss their planned anesthesia in a much more relaxed environment. This opportunity is important for every patient and has been shown to significantly reduce preoperative anxiety. In fact, we have observed, that the more minor the procedure, the more concern is often expressed by the patient about the anesthesia for their planned surgery.
The physician also can take as much time as required to assess the patient's needs. This focuses the use of resources, avoiding the historically applied "shotgun" approach to testing and referrals. It also avoids suprises on the day of surgery which lead to case delays while information is sought, and the potential cancellations associated with previously unidentified problems. The importance of this increases as the rate of outpatient surgery or same day admission surgery increases, now exceeding 60% of all procedures at the University.

The APMC moved to new facilities in December of 1996, and is in the process of expanding to meet ever increasing demands. In addition to our clinical goals we will also be launching several research initiatives to continue to improve out ability to optimize the preparation of the patient coming for surgery.

Please call or visit us to find out more about our clinic.