Updates to Standard Pre op Anaesthetic Assessment Form – March 2022
There is a more recent update to our Preoperative Assessment form. To see the latest updates, please visit https://anaestheticgroup.com.au/preoperative-assessment-form-2024/ or try our Standard Plan’s Preoperative Assessment Form Demo here.
Our Standard Pre-Op Form was updated on Thursday 3rd March 2022. We’re always reluctant to change your form, however, with over three million cases of COVID-19 reported in Australia (12% of the population*), we felt that the update was necessary and important.
Plus, most importantly, members requested the update, and we contacted several other members who overwhelmingly supported the additions too.
While updating the form, we also improved several other features and questions. Take a look at the pictures below to see all the changes we felt were necessary, and why.
One of the most exciting changes to the form is the COVID-19 question, which asks patients if they have had it – and then it automatically calculates for you the number of weeks since the patient had COVID-19 and the operation. How cool is that!
The Changes
These changes are already up-and-running on our Standard Plan questionnaire.
1. COVID-19 – Have you had
Ask the patient if they have had Covid-19. We included an ‘unsure’ option if the patient had a negative RAT or PCR, but their household had COVID-19 and they believed they had it as well.
If YES or UNSURE is selected the below will appear:
Extra questions will appear if Yes or Unsure is selected, asking the date of diagnosis, type of infection, if they still have symptoms, and if they have been able to resume their regular exercise routine.
We then use the date to calculate the days and weeks between COVID-19 and the operation date (see separate notification update).
Why? Members have requested this question, and with over 3 million cases of COVID-19 (12% of our population*), this question is now relevant to every region in Australia.
2. COVID-19 – Supercharge the Anaesthetist notification
COVID-19 status is now included in the warning message (above the questionnaire). If yes, it appears in red to alert the Anaesthetist.
In addition, it lists the date of diagnosis and auto-calculates the number of days and weeks between the diagnosis and the operation date. If no operation date is listed, it will calculate from the diagnosis date to today’s date.
Why? So Anaesthetists can be alerted easily to make sure a patient has completed the recommended waiting period before an operation. Thank you to Dr Geneva Sportsman for this great idea!
3. COVID-19 – Ask activities and vaccination
We have updated the COVID-19 activities question. Please keep in mind that this section is optional and can be turned off.
Remove hot spot, add a household member option. If close contact or household member are selected, extra isolation questions will be asked. We have also added a vaccination status question.
Why? Hot spots and isolation rules have changed in a large part of Australia. Household contacts (and their respiratory illnesses) have become more prevalent. Members have requested vaccination information. If you do not want this section, we are able to turn it off.
4. Update – CPAP wording and warning
Change the wording from do you ‘own’ a CPAP machine to do you ‘have’ one. In addition, include a prominent warning to patients that they need to bring their mask and machine to the hospital.
Why? Patient feedback since some patients rent one. To make the warning more prominent based on member feedback.
5. Update – Contact question
Change the question asking if the patient would like a phone call to be less specific, so you have greater flexibility in how you contact the patient.
Why? Due to member feedback – to provide Anaesthetists with flexibility in how they reach out to the patients. Also, younger demographics may prefer e-mail or text messages. (If you have the Non-IFC questionnaire, this question is optional.)
6. Child – Parent DOB warning
Warn the date of birth might be incorrect.
Parents sometimes fill in their own date of birth when filling out the questionnaire for their child. The form can display a warning if the answer to “Are you the patient?” is No (i.e. a parent filling out the form) and the date of birth entered calculates the age between 20 and 60.
Why? This was suggested by a Premium member, and we thought it was a good idea. (Credit to Dr Chris McMahon who came up with this idea)
7. Update – Teeth options
Due to patient feedback, reword “+/- fillings” to “with or without fillings”. Add wire retainer to the options.
Why? We had two patients leave feedback that they didn’t know what +/- meant. A Premium member suggested the wire retainer.
8. Update – “Other” options
The option “other” has been added to thyroid disease as patients sometimes indicate they don’t fit into the Yes / No options, for example if they had their thyroid removed.
Why? Several patients left feedback they were confused as to what to enter if they had their thyroid removed.
9. Update – Pain medications
Add an “Unsure / I don’t take pain relievers” option.
Why? Several patients left feedback saying they rarely need pain medications and were uncertain how to answer this question.
10. Update – File upload
Upgrade the Upload Files section to be drag and drop, and faster. Also, expand the types and the number of documents a patient can upload. Patients can also see the progress of file upload, which loads faster (rather than on page change). Additionally a better description of how to upload a file has been added (due to patient feedback).
(Files are still sent with the questionnaires to you, as we don’t store patient data on our servers for security reasons).
Why? General speed and user experience improvements. Additionally, two patients left feedback commenting they were not sure how to upload a file.
11. Update – Introduction
Update the wording at the top of questionnaire to clarify what users need to do and to also mention they can add more information or ask questions in the final section.
Why? Feedback from patients offered suggestions about how we might prepare them for what they need to do and which information they’ll need to fill out the form. Help them understand that they can save their form anytime and even leave comments at the end to provide greater comfort.
Changelog
3rd March 2022 1:43am AEST
- New COVID-19 questions
- COVID-19 warning at top of form
- ** Coming soon – auto calculation days / weeks since COVID-19 (ETA 10th March 2022)
- Warning for Age (if parent uses their dob for child)
- Thyroid other option (in case thyroid was removed)
- OSA CPAP – change ‘own’ CPAP to ‘have’ CPAP
- OSA CPAP – warning (if have) to bring with them
- Teeth – add wire retainer
- Teeth – reword from +/- to ‘with or without’
- Improved File Upload facility – Drag and Drop, more files, progress view, explanation on how to
- Update Covid Activities – remove hotspot, add household
- Update Isolation – remove from public view, only show if household or close contact
- Add Vaccination status
- Update contact wording – Would you like ‘to be contacted’ by your Anaesthetist prior to your procedure? (removed phone call words for flexibility)
- Update pain relievers – add ‘Unsure / I don’t take pain relievers’ option
- Improve wording of introduction of form – highlighting patients can save form, send files later and there is a box at end of form with extra concerns
Your feedback
As ever, if you have any ideas on how we can make the pre op anaesthetic assessment form work better for you and your patients, we’d love to hear them. We are always here to help you improve your efficiency and achieve better results for your patients, so please let us know if there is anything we can do.
If there’s anything you think we’re missing, are doing well, or could do better, please do drop us a line. We’d really love to hear from you!
Or if you are looking to join us, why not try our Demo pre-op form here.
For Premium Plan members with customised forms, we can add this functionality to your forms too, if you like. Simply drop us a line, either by phone or email, and we’ll make these changes for you.
We are forever evolving and trying to make our anaesthetic service as efficient as possible, for you. Without you, our fabulous Anaesthetist members, we wouldn’t exist. So if there is something you think we can do better, please do get in touch.
EXTRA DATA:
* figures taken from health.gov.au and abs.gov.au on 7th March 2022
