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Anesthesia Preoperative Evaluation Clinic (APEC)

Anesthesia Preoperative Evaluation Clinic

The Anesthesia Preoperative Evaluation Clinic (APEC) provides a centralized location for completion of outpatient pre-operative evaluations. This area consists of a reception area, seven examination rooms, and a shared nurse-physician work area.

APEC has been designed to provide an attractive and efficient facility for the completion of histories and physicals, anesthesia evaluations, laboratory testing, electrocardiograms, nursing assessments, and patient teaching. The APEC is staffed by a faculty anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, advanced registered nurse practitioners, anesthesia residents, nurse anesthetist trainees, and registered nurses (RNs).

All patients scheduled to receive anesthesia are either seen in APEC or receive a telephone call from one of the providers or RNs. Patients who need to be seen in clinic are determined by a screening process that helps to identify those with conditions most concerning to anesthesia or those with a history of complications related to anesthesia.

On average, APEC sees 20 to 40 patients per day, which includes 5 to 10 add-ons. Patients are scheduled by the individual surgery clinics. Appointment durations are determined by the number of medications the patient is prescribed. By scheduling in this manner, patient satisfaction and efficiency are optimized.

Residents at the CA1 or CA2 level are scheduled on this two-week rotation. Trainees learn to evaluate and educate patients before surgery. Evaluation of patients may include ordering pre-operative tests, interpreting test results, and collaboration with other medical specialties.