East Madison Hospital’s Pre-Anesthesia Clinic, which opened earlier this month, will work with patients to evaluate their individual anesthesiology needs and is looking to take the practice of anesthesia before surgery further to improve patient outcomes and minimize complications. Adopting these new pre-anesthesia techniques allows East Madison Hospital to assess individual patient risks and better prepare for surgery.
The risk of complications may be related to a patient’s unique medical conditions or the complexity of the surgery, according to Dr. William Hartman, medical director of the Pre-Anesthesia Clinic for UW Health and associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“Some surgeries take several hours and have multiple stages and facets, and making sure the patient, who may have medical complexities of their own, has the exact right type and dose of anesthetics is crucial,” he said. “This clinic will allow us to do this more effectively, tailored to each patient we see in the clinic.”
This clinic offers a pre-anesthesia questionnaire, individual patient assessments, and communication of results discussed during the planning stages of a patient’s surgical journey, according to a press release from UW Health, and this will be an opportunity for communities to stay well-informed and up to date on significant changes to healthcare treatment, accommodations, and needs.
Though the clinic is located at East Madison Hospital, it serves all UW Health patients in Wisconsin, regardless of where the surgery will take place, including University Hospital, East Madison Hospital and Madison Surgery Center. The clinic will also advance the practice of anesthesiology across the UW Health system of care, according to Dr. Kelly McQueen, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
“The clinic will expand our reach and better evaluate and prepare patients for surgery,” McQueen said. “Ultimately, we hope the clinic will lead to improved outcomes and greater patient and family satisfaction.” The developers of this clinic seek to bridge conversations and communication between patients and the healthcare professionals.”
