VALUE OF PREOPERATIVE CLINICAL-RADIOLOGICAL-PATHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

• Main Authors: Boris Pospihalj, Sašo Rainer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Medical Association 2002-01-01
• Series: Zdravniški Vestnik
• Subjects: preoperative evaluation; clinical-pathological communication
• Online Access: http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/1557

Background. Proper communication between clinician, pathologist and radiologist may improve both the desired patient outcome and physicians’ job satisfaction. It is common practice for physicians to communicate via written findings and requisition forms without discussing patient’s findings in person as a team. In some circumstances such an approach may retain important diagnostic and therapeutic problems and, finally, serious deterioration of expected patient’s outcome may emerge. It is reasonable to believe that many diagnostic and therapeutic problems will be elucidated during consultation process owing to the fact that patient’s medical history, symptoms, and findings are shared between physicians of different specialities. In order to avoid possible errors in diagnostic procedure this communication should be carried out before implementing the treatment plan.<br />Conclusions. Three instructive cases are presented: in two of them such communication might have been beneficial, resulting in correct diagnosis and proper treatment; in the third case, however, preoperative consultation fruitfully yielded accurate diagnosis.<br /><br />