Objectives: To collect and summarize information published by INAHTA agencies on the indications, habitual attitudes and practices, and economic and legal implications of preoperative evaluation in elective surgeries.

Method: The authors appraised the information contained in six papers published between 1989 and 1999 in Sweden, France, Basque Country, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Catalonia. The section on indications in preoperative evaluation does not present global conclusions. The sections addressing habitual attitudes and practices among physicians and those addressing economic and legal considerations cover only the similarities among the reports and the main ideas relating to these issues.

Results: The conclusions found in the reports about indications in preoperative evaluation are similar or differ slightly, e.g., as regards age limits in patients for whom the tests are recommended. However, more important differences are shown in other areas, especially in reports where consensus methods were used. In some instances, the opinions, attitudes, and customary practices of professionals during the preoperative stage do not concur with the recommendations extracted from the assessment reports and the customary practice of doctors. In relation to economic considerations, a substantial quantity of resources could be liberated if the recommended general clinical practices were followed. From the point of view of civil law, the evidence-based recommendations could be considered as a kind of coded lex artis.