The Evaluation of MyPreOp, an Online Preoperative Assessment Tool

The Evaluation of MyPreOp© (Online Pre-assessment Tool) Over a Conventional Nurse Led Pre-assessment Clinic: a Pilot and Feasibility Study.

This pilot study will intend to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MyPreOp (online pre-operative assessment tool). The study will aim to assess the quality of the MyPreOp assessment in comparison to standard practice of a nurse led face to face assessment. The investigators will also assess the acceptability of MyPreOp amongst patient participants and staff participants.

MyPreOp is a patient online pre-assessment tool that has been developed as a means of an alternative to the current existing model of a nurse led pre-assessment service.

This pilot study will intend to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MyPreOp. The study will primarily evaluate the quality of the MyPreOp assessment in comparison to standard practice of a nurse led assessment. The investigators will also assess the acceptability of MyPreOp amongst patient participants and pre-assessment nurses and anaesthetists.

Participants will be recruited directly from the pre-assessment clinic. Consenting participants will alternate undergoing either the MyPreOp assessment or the nurse assessment first. Participants will complete the MyPreOp assessment on a computer device at the hospital. Participants will also complete a nurse led pre-assessment process as per standard practice. Following the completion of both the MyPreOp assessment and the nurse assessment, participants will be asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire about their experience of using MyPreOp, together with further questions about their home internet access, usage and their preference of electronic or nurse led assessments.

Similarly pre-assessment nurses will review a random sample of MyPreOp assessments and complete a questionnaire about their views of the MyPreOp assessment summary and recommended actions.

The MyPreOp assessments will be compared with the nurse assessments through an independent adjudication process. Nominated adjudicators will be Consultant Anaesthetists with regular clinical duties in the pre-assessment clinic. Adjudicators will not be blinded with respects to the assessments so that the manner in which the patient data is presented can also be compared as well as the data itself. Adjudicators will assess the performance of the MyPreOp assessment in two domains, medical history and recommended investigations, and assign them into graded categories of over or under assessment, with or without clinical significance.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All patients due to see a pre-assessment nurse on that day
• Read and able to write English
• Lucid patients with mental capacity

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients unable to understand spoken or written English.
• Not able to see a pre-assessment nurse on the same day
• Patients too unwell or confused to be able to complete the questionnaire.
• Patient refusal.