Is Pre-anaesthetic Teleconsultation a Safe Alternative to Traditional Pre-anaesthetic Consultation?

A pre-anaesthetic consultation is compulsory. It must be carried out at least 8 days before a scheduled medical and/or surgical operation. Its main objectives are to take the patient's history, carry out a clinical examination, select the complementary examinations that should be carried out, and inform the patient of the procedure and the type of anaesthetic proposed. In a world moving towards virtualisation, a number of medical specialities have opted for remote consultations, either by telephone or video-conferencing. Teleconsultation seems to offer greater satisfaction, not only for patients, but also for surgeons and anaesthetists. It is also associated with a reduction in the distance travelled by patients, costs and financial expenditure, with no increase in the rate of cancellation of surgery. For the first time at the Brussels University Hospital (Erasme), the anaesthesia and intensive care team will gradually introduce the system of pre-anaesthetic teleconsultation by telephone from October 2023.

The aim of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of preanaesthetic teleconsultation at the Erasme HUB. In fact, it would be better to have results based on local expertise in order to give an answer on the effectiveness, safety and security of this innovative method, which will be officially implemented in October 2023.