Perioperative medicine is the medical care of patients from the time of contemplation of surgery through the operative period to full recovery. Perioperative care may be provided by an

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

, intensivist,

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

generalist or hospitalist working with surgical colleagues.

Background

Perioperative medicine encompasses the care of the patient preparing for, having and recuperating from surgery. In the practice of perioperative medicine the

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

, intensivist and medical consultant work in concert. The medical knowledge distinct to this field includes that of operative risk and complications, of patient specific risks, of methods to reduce risk, and of the management of medical illness during this time period. Evidence supporting

best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to alternatives because it tends to produce superior results. Best practices are used to achieve quality as an alternative to mandatory standards. Best practice ...

s in perioperative medicine is expanding, though historically this field has been directed by common practice and experience. It remains a field governed primarily by the art of medicine. Notably, in the last decade, there has been a concerted effort by various anesthesia representative bodies to incorporate greater teaching into management of patients during the perioperative period. Specifically, annual summits have been held in the UK and US for a number of years, various courses exist to encourage this field of medicine and there is a PubMed listed journal dedicated to the field of Perioperative Medicine.

External links

Royal College of Anaesthetists 2014 vision document to contextualise and introduce the future care of patients contemplating surgery with examples from hospitals that have successfully implemented perioperative solutions in the UK.

Perioperative Medicine journal

Perioperative Medicine Short Course

Perioperative Interactive Education (PIE) - online learning resource
Anesthesiology Hospital medicine Surgery

Background

See also

External links