For many patients, getting ready to have surgery means getting their blood drawn, their heart rhythm checked, or having other tests in the weeks leading up to their operation.
But not all patients need all those tests — especially if the results won’t change how their surgical team treats them or how well they do afterward.
Now, a new study shows how hospitals can focus the use of such tests on the patients who truly need them, while safely reducing unnecessary testing in others.
The result: less wasted money and resources for each test, and less wasted time for patients and clinical staff.
The study, published in JAMA Surgery by a team from the University of Michigan and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, tested a program designed to reduce unneeded preoperative tests at U-M Health.
It focused on…