title: Building a better preoperative assessment clinic.
abstract: In every surgical patient's journey, a well-run preoperative assessment clinic (PAC) is an essential first step in ensuring excellence in quality and patient safety. In 2007, the PAC at Victoria General Hospital, a busy community hospital, averaging more than 7,000 surgical procedures per year, struggled to support the volume of surgical patients. Processes were ill defined, staffing levels were suboptimal, and the physical space was inadequate. This hospital is one of seven acute care hospitals that provide surgical services within the city, under the umbrella of a regional health authority, and is the largest of 11 regional health authorities within the province. With support of the PAC team and administration, a commitment was made to embark on improvements with limited financial resources and space available. After implementing the proposed changes and evaluating the data, the evidence indicates that several small changes can make significant overall improvements in providing superior patient care, more efficient processes, and healthier work environments.
authors.affiliation: Victoria General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. LanetteSiragusa@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lanette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Siragusa
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thiessen
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grabowski
authors.forename: R Shawn
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care