Antonio Sánchez-Hidalgo , Iratxe Urreta Barallobre , Ignasi Bolibar Ribas , Eva Bassas Parga , Miren Arrieta Bernaras , Gaizka Gutiérrez Sánchez , David Sánchez Cirera , Francisco José González Moraga , Inigo Gorostiza , Raúl de Frutos Parra , Susana Álvarez Gómez , Pablo Manuel Keenoy , Marta Roqué Figuls , Carolina Requeijo
{"title":"Preoperative test requests for elective surgeries of different complexity: Appropriateness and interhospital variability","authors":"Antonio Sánchez-Hidalgo , Iratxe Urreta Barallobre , Ignasi Bolibar Ribas , Eva Bassas Parga , Miren Arrieta Bernaras , Gaizka Gutiérrez Sánchez , David Sánchez Cirera , Francisco José González Moraga , Inigo Gorostiza , Raúl de Frutos Parra , Susana Álvarez Gómez , Pablo Manuel Keenoy , Marta Roqué Figuls , Carolina Requeijo","doi":"10.1016/j.jclinane.2025.112033","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Numerous studies have questioned the usefulness of routine preoperative tests, and several guidelines have published recommendations aimed at reducing unnecessary preoperative testing.</div></div><div><h3>Study objectives</h3><div>To analyze the appropriateness of preoperative test requests and interhospital variability in criteria for requesting preoperative tests.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>Cross-sectional retrospective multicenter observational study.</div></div><div><h3>Setting</h3><div>Nine Spanish National Health System hospitals.</div></div><div><h3>Patients</h3><div>Patients over 18 years of age undergoing elective cataract surgery, inguinal hernia, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, colon surgery or primary knee replacement, in any department of the participating hospitals during 5 working days in June 2022 (<em>n</em> = 1522).</div></div><div><h3>Exposure</h3><div>Hospitals where patients underwent surgery.</div></div><div><h3>Measurements</h3><div>Appropriateness of requested preoperative tests according to hospital protocols and NICE guidelines analyzed with random-intercept multilevel models considering hospital-level and patient-level variables. Hospital protocol score to determine disagreement with the NICE guidelines.</div></div><div><h3>Main results</h3><div>Preoperative test request inappropriateness was 12.03 % according to hospital protocols and 72.99 % according to the NICE guidelines. Inappropriateness was mostly due to excessive requests and differed by hospital and surgery type. Independent factors determining inappropriateness at the hospital-level were center complexity and availability of computerized preoperative request templates; at the patient-level were age, ASA grades and surgical complexity. Protocol criteria for requesting preoperative tests varied notably between hospitals, and most protocols showed low agreement with NICE recommendations, especially in terms of over-requested preoperative tests.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Inappropriateness of preoperative test requests was high according to hospital protocols and especially high according to the NICE guidelines. Appropriateness was determined by patient characteristics, surgical complexity, and institutional factors. Interhospital variability in inappropriateness was explained by differing criteria for preoperative test requests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15506,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Anesthesia","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 112033"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1000,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Clinical Anesthesia","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0952818025002946","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/10/16 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ANESTHESIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Numerous studies have questioned the usefulness of routine preoperative tests, and several guidelines have published recommendations aimed at reducing unnecessary preoperative testing.
Study objectives
To analyze the appropriateness of preoperative test requests and interhospital variability in criteria for requesting preoperative tests.
Patients over 18 years of age undergoing elective cataract surgery, inguinal hernia, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, colon surgery or primary knee replacement, in any department of the participating hospitals during 5 working days in June 2022 (n = 1522).
Exposure
Hospitals where patients underwent surgery.
Measurements
Appropriateness of requested preoperative tests according to hospital protocols and NICE guidelines analyzed with random-intercept multilevel models considering hospital-level and patient-level variables. Hospital protocol score to determine disagreement with the NICE guidelines.
Main results
Preoperative test request inappropriateness was 12.03 % according to hospital protocols and 72.99 % according to the NICE guidelines. Inappropriateness was mostly due to excessive requests and differed by hospital and surgery type. Independent factors determining inappropriateness at the hospital-level were center complexity and availability of computerized preoperative request templates; at the patient-level were age, ASA grades and surgical complexity. Protocol criteria for requesting preoperative tests varied notably between hospitals, and most protocols showed low agreement with NICE recommendations, especially in terms of over-requested preoperative tests.
Conclusions
Inappropriateness of preoperative test requests was high according to hospital protocols and especially high according to the NICE guidelines. Appropriateness was determined by patient characteristics, surgical complexity, and institutional factors. Interhospital variability in inappropriateness was explained by differing criteria for preoperative test requests.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Clinical Anesthesia (JCA) addresses all aspects of anesthesia practice, including anesthetic administration, pharmacokinetics, preoperative and postoperative considerations, coexisting disease and other complicating factors, cost issues, and similar concerns anesthesiologists contend with daily. Exceptionally high standards of presentation and accuracy are maintained.
The core of the journal is original contributions on subjects relevant to clinical practice, and rigorously peer-reviewed. Highly respected international experts have joined together to form the Editorial Board, sharing their years of experience and clinical expertise. Specialized section editors cover the various subspecialties within the field. To keep your practical clinical skills current, the journal bridges the gap between the laboratory and the clinical practice of anesthesiology and critical care to clarify how new insights can improve daily practice.