ABSTRACT
Preoperative evaluation is a necessary component of facilitating a good perioperative outcome. A thorough preoperative evaluation is sometimes a challenge, even in high-income countries (HICs), due to time, financial, and other resource constraints. In lowand middle-income countries (LMICs), these resource constraints can present added problems in perioperative management. Challenges of surgical and perioperative management will vary, so it is important to tailor the preoperative evaluation to the country or region in which you serve and the unique comorbidities that exist there. An assessment of the country’s health problems and needs provides valuable information in defining the problems of that particular community. 1 However, such an assessment is not always possible and there remains a paucity of data about how to best provide high-quality, low-cost anesthetic services in LMICs. Several guidelines have been developed by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO). 2 As a result, the anesthesiologist must gather and process a wide array of information and data regarding the patient, the local community, the region, and international guidelines. The synthesis of this information into a coherent perioperative plan is necessary to make informed decisions on providing safe anesthesia and surgical care in a given setting. The anesthesiologist must consider the demographic and epidemiologic data of the population being served, as well as the impact that service or surgery will have on the individual and the community.
