The incidence of ordering unnecessary tests could be reduced if anesthesiologists rather than surgeons order presurgical tests and consults, according to a study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
The study looked at medical records of 1,000 consecutive patients scheduled for surgery at SUNY at Stony Brook (N.Y.). The records were examined for testing outside the hospital's approved guidelines, and four scenarios were constructed to solicit physician views on appropriate testing.
According to the study's results, more than half of the patients examined had at least one unnecessary test based on testing guidelines. Among the 175 anesthesiologists who responded to the survey, 46 percent ordered one or more of the tests considered unnecessary. Likelihood of anesthesiologists ordering unnecessary tests was considerably lower than the likelihood of gynecologists, otolaryngologists, orthopedists and general surgeons ordering unnecessary tests.
Read the Anesthesia & Analgesia report on unnecessary tests.
Read more on anesthesia:
-10 Statistics on the Anesthesiologist Workforce
-Methadone Reduces Postoperative Pain in Complex Spine Surgery Patients
-Study: Higher BMI Alone Has Little Effect on Surgical Outcomes for Elderly
The study looked at medical records of 1,000 consecutive patients scheduled for surgery at SUNY at Stony Brook (N.Y.). The records were examined for testing outside the hospital's approved guidelines, and four scenarios were constructed to solicit physician views on appropriate testing.
According to the study's results, more than half of the patients examined had at least one unnecessary test based on testing guidelines. Among the 175 anesthesiologists who responded to the survey, 46 percent ordered one or more of the tests considered unnecessary. Likelihood of anesthesiologists ordering unnecessary tests was considerably lower than the likelihood of gynecologists, otolaryngologists, orthopedists and general surgeons ordering unnecessary tests.
Read the Anesthesia & Analgesia report on unnecessary tests.
Read more on anesthesia:
-10 Statistics on the Anesthesiologist Workforce
-Methadone Reduces Postoperative Pain in Complex Spine Surgery Patients
-Study: Higher BMI Alone Has Little Effect on Surgical Outcomes for Elderly