Pre Operative Investigations: Should We Adopt Health Technology Assessment Guidelines In Developing Country? - A Retrospective Study
Pre Operative Investigations: Should We Adopt Health Technology Assessment Guidelines In Developing Country ?
Keywords:
preoperative investigations, preoperative assessment, poor socioeconomic area, preoperative guidelinesAbstract
Background and aims: Preoperative assessment and preoperative investigations are compulsory before elective surgery. Preoperative routine testing was begun before 40 years and has expanded to include many of routine diagnostic tests performed today. Many guidelines are developed by various countries for these preoperative investigations to prevent the unnecessary investigations and overburden to the hospital. The aim was to find out unnecessary investigations carried out in elective general surgical patients during the period of March to August 2013 in our hospital. Methods: A retrospective study of 802 patients from their preoperative assessment forms was done. Various blood investigations, Chest X ray and Electrocardiogram were evaluated. The Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: CXR was abnormal in 30.04% of patients in less than 40 years of age and 53.25% of patients in more than 40 years of age though only 5.73% of patients aged more than 40 years of age were needed treatment for that before operation. ECG was done in 454patients only. Out of them 13.46% of patients had abnormal finding in younger age group(less than 40 years of age) while 47.97% of patients in older age group (more than 40 years of age). Blood investigations were normal in more than 90% of patients. Conclusion: The hypothesis of unnecessary investigations was true with the biochemical investigations except Haemoglobin level which was low in majority of patients but for Chest X ray and Electrocardiogram the p value was not significant. [Kamla M NJIRM 2016; 7(5): 55-58]
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