The role of the anesthesia care coordinator in preadmission testing

Surgery delays and cancellations are costly to hospitals and emotionally distressful to patients. At Sarasota (Fla) Memorial Hospital, staff members developed a critical pathway-the preanesthesia collaborative care track, called "the Track," to address problems associated with preparing patients for surgery. The track is designed to facilitate preoperative patient assessments and nursing interventions that achieve desirable patient outcomes and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to surgical patients. The RN anesthesia care coordinator of the Track assists in early patient-problem identification and ensures that appropriate clinical data are available for perioperative nurses, anesthesiologists, and surgeons to avoid last-minute delays and cancellations of scheduled surgical procedures.