Addressing comorbidities in the perioperative setting and optimizing perioperative medicine education.

Abstract

Preoperative clinics and patient optimization are examples of collaborative, multidisciplinary care pathways that create value. This article reviews current literature to demonstrate the importance of preoperative enhancement of patients' cognitive and functional status. This article underscores the importance of formal training in multidisciplinary topics, such as frailty, brain health, and shared decision-making for anesthesiology house staff. Preoperative cognitive screening of older patients is a valuable metric for risk stratification and detection of patients at risk of postoperative delirium. Frailty is another syndrome that can be identified and optimized preoperatively. Sarcopenia has been shown to correlate with frailty; this shows promise as a method to detect frailty preoperatively. Anesthesiologists as perioperative physicians are in a unique position to lead and coordinate interdisciplinary conversations that incorporate patient goal concordant care and realistic assessment of perioperative complications. Formal house staff training in early recognition and management of patients at risk of adverse outcomes in the short and long term postoperatively improves patient outcomes and decreases healthcare spending.