A retrospective study standardized screening tests in healthy ambulatory surgical patients

A retrospective study of 100 patient medical records was done to determine whether preoperative standardized screening tests could be reduced in healthy ambulatory surgical patients age 40 or older without compromising patient surgical outcome. A two way chi-square test of association was utilized to determine if there was any association between the outcome of patients’ elective ambulatory surgical procedures and the preoperative assessments which included the health history and physical examination, electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, and laboratory tests. This study found no statistically significant association between the preoperative assessments and patient surgical outcome. The results of this study indicate that preoperative tests are of little significance in predicting surgical outcome in healthy ambulatory patients. The study further indicated that the health history and physical examination should be done first and used as a tool in determining what preoperative standardized screening tests need to be performed.