Role of Telehealth in Pre-anesthetic Evaluations

Before an elective surgical procedure, patients are required to have a pre-anesthetic evaluation (PAE) with the primary objective of assessing medical readiness. Telehealth, the delivery of healthcare and medical information using video conferencing technology, has become an attractive option for the PAE. Telehealth may help to facilitate safe patient care while reducing inconvenience and cost. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, The Cochrane Library, online medical data, ancestry approach, and Google Scholar. A literature search revealed 115 potential sources, with 1 randomized controlled trial, 2 retro-spective studies, 3 surveys, and 1 case report meeting the inclusion criteria. The evidence overall suggests that the PAE using telehealth technology is as reliable as those conducted by in-person methods and has distinct advantages in remote and rural areas, where access to healthcare can be difficult. Study findings have also confirmed that the PAE using telehealth has high patient satisfaction rates and the potential benefit of saving time and cost compared with in-person evaluations.