Clinical Research Directory

The Risk of Surgical Cancellation in Adult Patients Assessed by Telephone Versus In-person for Scheduled Non-cardiac Elective Surgery.

Telemedicine has been regulated in Colombia since 2006, with applications in anesthesia being explored since 2004 to improve accessibility and reduce costs. Although Decree 538 of 2020 expanded telemedicine's medical applications, challenges such as connectivity issues and the need for training remain. Telemedicine has shown promise in rural areas of Colombia, particularly for managing chronic diseases. However, further evidence is needed regarding the effectiveness of telephone pre-anesthetic evaluations. This study aims to investigate the implementation of telephone assessments for non-cardiac surgery and their impact on surgical cancellations compared to in-person pre-anesthetic evaluations. The primary question we seek to answer is: Does telephone pre-anesthetic assessment in non-cardiac surgical patients carry a higher risk of surgical cancellations compared to in-person evaluations? To address this question, we will evaluate patients' medical records in two hospitals where patients were assessed using both telephone and in-person modalities.