Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this article is to standardize the use of preoperative urine drug screens for adults scheduled for elective surgery in order to improve surgical efficiency and reduce perioperative and postoperative complications.
Method: A PubMed Search was conducted to review literature published within the past five years. The joint terms “urine drug screen and surgery” were used in the search. A literature review was conducted after reviewing multiple articles and screening for their quality, timeliness, and pertinence to elective surgical procedures and illicit drug use.
Results: Performing a urine drug screen prior to elective surgical procedure identified illicit drug use in individuals who were not forthcoming with this information. The presence of illicit drugs in individuals undergoing elective surgical procedures affected individuals negatively, both perioperatively and postoperatively.
Conclusion: The presence of illicit drugs on day-of-surgery urine drug screenings will lead to surgical cancellation and delays in patient care. Preoperative urine drug screening for individual patients within a week of scheduled elective surgical procedures would reduce the occurrence of same-day surgical cancellations and would lead to surgical efficiency and improved use of hospital resources.
Recommended Citation
Mashinchi, Joseph
(2026)
"Preoperative Urine Drug Screen to Increase Surgical Efficiency,"
SIU Journal of Medical Science Scholarly Works: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/jmssw/vol3/iss1/6
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