After the Pre-Op Questionnaire: a workflow guide
There is no single right way to manage your incoming pre-op questionnaires. Every Anaesthetist has their own approach, so it’s just a case of establishing what works best for you. And the best system is the one that feels simple, reliable and easy to maintain in the middle of a busy week.
When a patient submits their questionnaire, it is sent directly to your nominated email address, along with any attachments. This means your email workflow becomes the key place to begin to review, action and organise what happens next.
Each questionnaire arrives with a clear subject format:
Date – Surname – Surgeon
For example: 19/12/2026 - Smith - Dr Cutalot
Start with a simple structure
A helpful way to think about each questionnaire is:
- 📋 Ready to proceed
- ⚠️ Needs follow up
- ✅ Complete
That simple structure is often enough. Like a tidy anaesthetic trolley, the goal is not more compartments. It is knowing exactly where everything goes when you need it.
Keep it simple
A clear system is better than a complicated one you never have time to use.
A practical workflow
Many Anaesthetists use some version of the following process:
- Review the questionnaire soon after it arrives
- Identify whether the patient is ready to proceed or needs follow up
- Add a label, tag, category, or move it into the right folder
- Send a quick reply if you need more information or to advise fasting and OOP fees to the patient (see our email tips series or ask us for a link to the ready made templates)
- Contact the GP, hospital or specialist if results or clarification are required
- Recheck your follow up list regularly
- Match questionnaires against your upcoming operating list (text message any patients that are still to complete the form)
- Remove labels, archive or delete completed forms once they are no longer needed
Your own process may be simpler or more detailed than this. What matters most is that it feels easy to repeat and completely reliable.
Use automation where it helps
Most email programs now let you create rules, filters, flags, reminders, categories, snooze and scheduled follow ups. Rather than learning something new, it is usually best to use the tools built into your usual email or task system first.
Our consistent subject format (Date – Surname – Surgeon) makes this even easier. For example:
- Snooze emails as a reminder for a set time before surgery
- Apply automatic tags based on surgeon name
- Move incoming questionnaires into a dedicated folder
- Set up batch reviews at set times each week
Automation tip
Each questionnaire includes a hidden auto-calculated field at the bottom called “Days until operation“. Filter for patients 1, 2 or 3 days out and they rise to the top of your inbox automatically. This helps you focus on what needs attention first.
Start simple, then refine
If you are setting up your process for the first time, start with just three things:
- One place for incoming questionnaires
- One way to mark anything needing follow up
- One regular time to review outstanding items
Other ways to get and stay organised
Depending on your style, here are some practical approaches that work well:
Separate email address
Set up a new dedicated email just for questionnaires and patient contact. Email Ninja Tips
Organise by labels or folders
Auto sort by surgeon, specialty, hospital or action status (ready to proceed, follow up, complete)
Template responses
Keep ready made replies for common patient follow ups (ask us for examples)
Task lists or calendar reminders
Create tasks by surgery date with patient status underneath, using Asana, notes or your calendar.
Weekly reviews
Set aside time each week to check anything still marked for follow up
Email snooze
Use your email’s reminder feature to snooze emails and bring them back to your inbox at key times
Email filters
Tag all questionnaires automatically with “PRE-OP” to find and batch process them easily.
Batch. Batch. Batch.
Handle all questionnaire admin in one focused time-blocked session, rather than one by one
Monthly notebook
Keep a simple monthyl notebook with your operating list and patient notes. Cross off when billed and paid.
Choose one or two methods that fit your natural workflow. Simple and repeatable always works best.
Need something more tailored?
Premium Plan members can customise their questions, confirmations and notifications to suit how they work. For example, we can fully customise your notifications so more of your workflow runs automatically and saves you time.
Flag issues at the top of your questionnaire
We can highlight key information right at the top, such as:
- Previous anaesthetic problems for the patient or their relatives
- Recent illness
- BMI over 30
- We can even include the patient’s phone number there too, so calling is one click away
Warnings and notes in your subject line
We can add clear markers to help urgent cases stand out and keep your inbox organised:
- “HIGH RISK” or “OSA” if patient mentions specific anaesthetic problems
- “PHONE” for patients requesting a call
- Month name (eg. May, June) in the subject line so you can mass delete old questionnaires by simply searching
from:(anaestheticgroup.com.au) subject:May "Please find below a patient's pre-op health questionnaire"
Auto follow up for IFC
We can streamline your billing process too allowing you to stay focused on patient care.
- Ask patients for their item numbers directly in the form
- We can send a separate notification to your billing service with contact details, operation info, and item numbers (no medical data included) so your billing team gets exactly what they need to contact patients for pre-payment automatically
- Supercharge your IFC and auto-calculate a value based on the procedure, surgeon, hospital, health fund, or any other criteria you specify
Premium Plan members can tailor their questionnaire to suit their exact needs. These changes can help you prioritise high risk patients and keep your inbox clean without extra effort. Perfect for busy Anaesthetists.
Premium Plan members can change their preoperative assessment form as often as they like. We offer unlimited depth to questions that change based on previous answers. We can set up complex questions, triggers, confirmations and notifications too. Plus unlimited changes come included in the flat monthly plan cost.
See examples of over 160 clever changes our amazing members have made here
An example of a member’s workflow
One Anaesthetist receiving more than 70 questionnaires each month uses a process built around reviewing each form (easily identifiable by the Date – Surname – Surgeon subject line), noting anything important, following up what needs action, and matching everything against the operating list in the days before surgery.
This section is currently being updated. We’ve recently made many new improvements to this member’s workflow, including automations they can copy and paste into their follow up list.
Sign up below to be notified when this page is updated with the new images and details.