The increase in life expectancy and the progressive aging of the population, together with the development of more advanced surgical and anesthetic procedures, has led to patients of greater age and with a significant comorbidity burden undergoing surgery every time more frequently. The lower functional reserve of these patients, added to the surgical stress, translates into an increased risk of complications and prolongation of stays, a problem that far from being reduced is estimated to increase in the coming years.
That is why, more and more frequently, medical specialists are required by surgical specialists not only for the preoperative evaluation but also to give a quick response to the various complications that may appear in the postoperative course of evolution. The way in which medical and surgical services are organized to respond to this demand, forms the basis of the so-called perioperative medicine. Its ultimate purpose is to ensure that the patient reaches the time of intervention in the optimal conditions possible and that once the surgical act is performed, the complications developed are minimal.
The reasons why a medical specialist can be consulted during their hospital activity are as wide as the spectrum of diseases, but in the perioperative period, there are some basic aspects of mandatory knowledge that every specialist must know how to approach with the maximum guarantees of quality.
With the aim of responding to the knowledge necessary to successfully face these tasks, specialists from the La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital of Valencia (Spain) belonging to the Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Nutrition services and the Infectious Diseases Unit, grouped in the Medical Clinical Area, have developed the idea of creating a Manual of Consultative Medicine that addresses in a practical way, the different aspects by which a specialist can be consulted in the field of hospital activity, emphasizing the perioperative period, as this the main reason for hospital interconsultation.
We started this project in an app format because our intention is that it is a dynamic and updated support with the latest scientific evidence and only the immediacy that this medium confers will allow us to achieve these objectives. The content of the app is distributed in chapters that we will progressively expand in subsequent updates and which can be accessed from the index or from a keyword search on the main page of the application. The changes in the scientific knowledge will be transferred to the application in the form of periodic updates that, without losing the practical sense, we hope that they turn it into a real useful tool in the day to day (point-of-care).
The application has other features such as the possibility to save the favorite chapters for faster access, take notes in each chapter or download it in PDF format to be able to print it or save it. Likewise, there is a direct communication channel with the authors and developers of the app, in e-mail format. From here we encourage future readers to send questions, criticisms or suggestions to follow in future updates.
We thank all the team of authors and developers who have participated in the development of this application their commendable effort. On behalf of all, we fervently wish future users to find quick, effective and necessary help to clarify the diagnostic or therapeutic guidelines to follow in each of the aspects addressed. If we achieve this goal, we will feel that our effort has been worthwhile.
The Editorial Committee
