Authors: Rolfzen M
IARS Daily Dose, May 3, 2026
Key Points
Virtual preoperative assessments may reduce travel burden and cost without increasing cancellations or immediate perioperative complications.
Remote monitoring and virtual wards may help identify deterioration earlier, but stronger evidence is still needed.
Postoperative virtual care can help close the safety gap after discharge, when many complications now occur at home.
Summary
This IARS Daily Dose article reviews a 2026 IARS/SOCCA Annual Meeting panel on the expanding role of virtual care in perioperative medicine. The panel described postoperative care as a possible “fourth branch” of anesthesia, extending the anesthesiologist’s role beyond the operating room into preoperative optimization, postoperative surveillance, and recovery support.
David MacDonald, MD, discussed virtual preoperative anesthesia assessments. Telemedicine was uncommon in Canada before COVID-19, but its use increased rapidly afterward. The TELANESTH trial found that teleconsultation was not inferior to in-person consultation for cancellation rates or immediate perioperative complications. Virtual assessments may also save patients time, money, and travel stress.
David Brealey, MD, focused on the weakness of traditional ward monitoring. In many systems, vital signs are checked only one to four times daily, leaving opportunities for clinical deterioration to be missed. Wearable devices and virtual wards may allow continuous monitoring of heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and temperature. However, Dr. Brealey cautioned that these systems still need stronger validation before becoming standard in high-acuity care.
Sylvie Aucoin, MD, reviewed Postoperative Virtual Care and Remote Monitoring. Because many patients are discharged earlier, complications increasingly occur at home. PVC-RAM programs use surveys, wound photos, virtual nursing visits, and remote vital sign monitoring to support patients after discharge. These programs can be tailored by procedure, from short follow-up after lower-risk surgery to longer monitoring after major procedures such as lobectomy or cystectomy.
What You Should Know
Virtual perioperative care is not just a convenience tool. It may become a major part of anesthesia practice by improving access, reducing patient burden, and extending safety monitoring after discharge. The most successful programs will likely require committed surgeons, administrators, nurses, anesthesiologists, and home-care partners working together.
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