title: Setting up and functioning of a preanaesthetic clinic.
abstract: The goal of preoperative risk assessment is to identify and modify the procedure and patient factors that significantly increase the risk for complications. Preanaesthesia clinics (PACs) have been developed to improve the preoperative experience of the patients by coordinating surgical, anaesthesia, nursing and laboratory care. These clinics can also help in developing practice guidelines, and decreasing the number of consultations, laboratory tests and surgical cancellations. Though these clinics are present in most of our hospitals, a major effort is needed to upgrade these setups so as to maximise the benefits. This review gives a brief account of organisation and functioning of PACs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi - 110 001, India.
authors.forename: Anju
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Nishkarsh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta