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Article: An audit of preoperative blood tests.(CLINICAL FEATURE)
- Article from:
- Journal of Perioperative Practice
- Article date:
- February 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Association for Perioperative Practice. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Prior to elective surgery, patients are pre-assessed by a doctor or specialist nurse. Assessment includes patient interview, examination and investigations. While the omission of relevant investigations may put the patient at risk or result in the postponement of surgery, the overuse of tests that are not indicated may increase patient morbidity and increases financial outlay.
In order to optimise preoperative investigation, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on the use of preoperative tests in June 2003 (NICE 2003). The report makes specific recommendations about the preoperative tests ...