The Multidisciplinary Perioperative Pathway: A Narrative Review of Coordination, Optimization, and Recovery from Scheduling to Discharge
Abstract
Background: The elective surgical journey is a complex continuum requiring seamless interdisciplinary coordination to ensure patient safety, optimize outcomes, and enhance system efficiency. This pathway integrates diverse professional domains—administrative, nursing, anesthetic, pharmaceutical, and rehabilitative—each with critical, interdependent roles.
Aim: This narrative review aims to comprehensively map the entire perioperative pathway for elective surgery, synthesizing evidence on the roles of medical secretaries, nursing staff, anesthetists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists from scheduling through to recovery.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases (2010-2024). Keywords pertained to perioperative coordination, preoperative assessment, anesthetic planning, surgical pharmacy, and prehabilitation/rehabilitation. Included literature comprised systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and professional guidelines.
Results: The review delineates a non-linear, integrated pathway where effective administrative coordination and pre-admission processes fundamentally underpin clinical safety. Standardized nursing assessments mitigate risk, while personalized anesthetic and analgesic regimens, informed by pharmacogenomics and enhanced recovery protocols, improve physiological stability and pain control. Preoperative physiotherapy (prehabilitation) demonstrably enhances functional capacity and post-operative recovery.
Conclusion: Optimal perioperative care is inherently multidisciplinary, requiring robust communication systems and shared protocols. Future directions include digital health integration and personalized, risk-stratified care models to further improve patient-centered outcomes and healthcare value.
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Authors
Copyright (c) 2024 Nadia Saad Asiri, Essa Hulayyil M Alanazi, Aisha Lafi Alhazmi, Aadl Mohammd Y Sawadi, Mohammed Ahmed Ageeli, Sultan Abdullah Ibrahim Ageel, Faisal Omar Aljohani, Ibrahim Taher Hamad Al Taher, Wejdan Mohammed Abkar Khalil, Lolah Ali Essa Alageeli, Fatimah Hamad Mohammed Shajri, Abdulrahman Khulaif Almutairi
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