Preoperative medical consultations in a community hospital

To evaluate the practice of consultations in the community hospital, chart reviews and consultant/surgeon interviews were conducted for 85 consecutive medical preoperative consultations for patients discharged from the Surgical Service. In 78 cases (92%) the authors agreed with the need or reason for the preoperative consultation; the majority were required for the management of chronic medical problems. Continuity of care was considered important by surgeons and consultants. Verbal communication was common, particularly from surgeon to consultant. Brief response time, specific recommendations, focused evaluations, and physician satisfaction with the existing system were the rule. However, 23 preoperative consultations (27%) were judged to be deficient. Compliance with recommendations was high (95%) but other measures of consultation effect were low.