pre-anesthetic evaluation
A structured clinical assessment conducted before the administration of anesthesia or sedation to identify patient risk factors, co-morbidities, and procedural requirements.
Full Definition
The pre-anesthetic evaluation (also referred to as pre-anesthesia assessment or pre-operative evaluation) in dental anesthesiology encompasses medical history review, physical examination, airway assessment, medication reconciliation, and determination of the appropriate level and type of anesthesia. Findings are documented on a standardised form that becomes part of the permanent anesthesia record. Editors should note the hyphen in 'pre-anesthetic' is preferred in most North American medical style guides (AMA style), though some journals omit it ('preanesthetic'). The document produced is typically titled 'Pre-Anesthetic Evaluation Form' or 'Pre-Anesthesia Assessment'. It is distinct from the consent form and the anesthetic plan.
Usage
Usage note: AMA style retains the hyphen: 'pre-anesthetic'. Some journals prefer 'preanesthetic' (unhyphenated). Standardise throughout a document and confirm against journal style sheet.
In Context
- "The pre-anesthetic evaluation must be completed and signed no fewer than 24 hours before the scheduled procedure." — Dental anesthesia informed consent and scheduling protocol
- "During copy-editing, all instances of 'preoperative evaluation' were standardised to 'pre-anesthetic evaluation' per the author's instructions." — Manuscript copy-editing log