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Table 1 Preference for clinic and conventional pre-anesthetic consultation

From: The cost-effectiveness of an outpatient anesthesia consultation clinic before surgery: a matched Hong Kong cohort study

Outpatient pre-anesthetic clinic

Standard inpatient surgical ward (conventional)

See anesthesiologist up to one month before surgery as an outpatient. Less chance (10 in 100, 10%) that the clinic anesthesiologist will be the same anesthesiologist who will give you the anesthesia on the day of surgery.

See anesthesiologist one day before surgery as an inpatient. More chance (90 in 100, 90%) that this anesthesiologist will be the same anesthesiologist who will give you the anesthesia on the day of surgery.

Two visits to hospital (clinic and for surgery).

One visit to hospital for surgery.

Admission to hospital on the day of surgery.

Admission to hospital one day before surgery

Less chance (5 in 100, 5%) of surgical wound infections because overall hospital stay is shorter.

Higher chance (16 in 100, 16%) of surgical wound infections because overall hospital stay is longer.

Less chance (1 in 100, 1%) of cancellation of surgery on the day of surgery due to medical reasons.

Higher chance (5 in 100, 5%) of cancellation of surgery on the day of surgery due to medical reasons.

  1. There are two locations in the Prince of Wales Hospital where patients can see an anesthesiologist before their surgery. One is the Outpatient Preanesthetic Clinic and the other is an Inpatient Surgical Ward. The discussion about the risks of complications and processes of anesthesia is the same at each location. The descriptions above concentrate only on the differences between these two locations.