HTA Details
Preoperative Consultations
- Publication date
-
2014-March-01
- Status
- Final
- Topic Area
- Surgical
- Recommendation
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Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee Recommendations:
- Province-wide assessment to understand variation across hospitals and other healthcare settings in how preoperative care is being organized and arranged to meet patients’ needs and taking into account duplication in care pathways
- Validating screening questionnaires in a variety of hospital settings to address heterogeneity, such as research hospitals, large and small community hospitals, rural, urban, etc. This would ensure that patients who are in need of consultations are appropriately screened.
- Ministry Response
-
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has accepted this recommendation.
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To read the full OHTAC Recommendation Report for this topic, contact our Health Innovation team using the contact form to request a digital copy.
Preoperative consultations are meant to give doctors details if patients have more than one disease; to find out whether more tests are needed; to get patients in the best shape possible before surgery; to discuss care before, during and after surgery; and to delay or cancel surgery if patients are not well enough.
Preoperative anesthesia consultations have increased in Ontario from 19% in 1994 to 53% in 2003. But rates for medical consultations have remained about the same. In fiscal year 2011/12 there were about 43,000 preoperative consultations by anesthesiologists and 20,000 preoperative consultations by internal medicine specialists.
Most preoperative consultations are in hospital clinics at least two days before surgery to make sure patients are ready. Preoperative consultations for noncardiac surgeries do not involve operations on the heart. Patients who receive consultations are more likely to be older and have more health problems.
Supporting Documents
Last Updated: February 24, 2026
