The structural weaknesses of preoperative processes have been known for years – and yet they persist. Fragmented processes, incomplete information at the time of pre-anaesthesia assessment, high manual effort and legal uncertainty continue to shape everyday work in many facilities. In an area that is so sensitive in medical, organisational and liability terms, this discrepancy increasingly looks systemic.
Against this background, 2026 does not mark just another step in digitalisation – but a possible turning point: the question is no longer whether preoperative processes will be digitalised, but how consistently and structurally this transformation – for example through continuous digital premedication – is implemented.
With the presentation of a new platform generation at DMEA 2026 in Berlin, precisely this question takes centre stage: how can a preoperative workflow be designed so that it is not only digital but genuinely controllable, robust and scalable from start to finish?
The real problem does not lie in the technology
Many digitalisation initiatives in the preoperative context do not fail for lack of tools. Digital medical history questionnaires, individual patient education videos or electronic signatures have long been available. Nevertheless, the hoped-for relief often fails to materialise.
The reason is structural: existing processes are mapped digitally, but not redesigned.
The pre-anaesthesia clinic still acts as the central collection point for all information – with the familiar result: incomplete documents, redundant discussions and intense time pressure. In this context, digitalisation becomes an additional layer, not a solution.
The key question is therefore: how can the entire preoperative process be moved ahead of the clinic visit and prepared there in a structured way?
Preoperative workflows as an integrated system
A robust preoperative process does not come from optimising individual steps, but from integrating them into a continuous logic.
This is exactly where the new platform generation comes in, presented for the first time at DMEA 2026: it understands the preoperative workflow not as a sequence of isolated measures but as a coherent system – from the first data collection to legally sound consent.
At its core is the consistent synchronisation of three levels:
- The medical level: complete, structured medical history data and findings before the first contact with a physician.
- The cognitive level: genuine patient understanding through individualised, video-assisted patient education.
- The legal level: traceable, audit-proof documentation of the entire patient information and consent process.
Only when these levels interlock does a process emerge that is not only efficient but also robust in terms of quality and law.
Four modules – one continuous workflow
The solution presented at DMEA puts this approach into practice in four interlocking modules:
The digital medical history moves data collection to the patient’s home. Structured input and integrated completeness checks create a reliable information base at an early stage.
The capture of findings ensures that all relevant documents are available in advance, checked and accessible centrally. Media breaks disappear, and requests for missing documents become less frequent.
Video-assisted patient education goes beyond traditional consent sheets. Modular, individualised video sequences do not just convey content but put it into context – adapted to the procedure, risk profile and patient situation.
Electronic informed consent completes the process without a gap and ensures that consent is documented in a legally sound way and can be traced at any time.
What matters is not the individual components but their integration: all modules follow a common process logic and interlock without breaks.
Individualisation as the key to process quality
A particularly critical point in the preoperative phase is patient education. In many facilities, it is still based on standardised content that is conveyed regardless of the individual risk constellation or type of procedure.
This approach is not only inefficient but structurally problematic. The solution presented at DMEA takes a different approach: patient education is understood as a customisable, modular process. Video content is compiled dynamically – matched to the specific procedure and the patient’s medical starting point.
This has two key effects:
- First, patient understanding improves because the content is more relevant and context-specific.
- Second, the quality of the discussion with the physician changes. Instead of repeatedly conveying basic information, the focus can be placed on individual risks, questions and aspects of the decision.
This shift is relevant not only for communication but also legally: individualised, documented patient information increases the traceability and robustness of the entire process.
From the clinic as a bottleneck to a controllable unit
In many hospitals today, the traditional pre-anaesthesia clinic is a bottleneck – characterised by waiting times, tight scheduling and limited predictability.
A continuously digitalised workflow fundamentally changes this role.
If medical history, findings and patient education are already complete before the appointment, the clinic changes from a reactive collection point into a controllable unit. Appointments are allocated in a more targeted way, and a considerable proportion of patients – especially those at low risk – can be cared for entirely via telemedicine.
The result is relief on two fronts:
- Fewer patients on site reduce the operational pressure.
- At the same time, more time becomes available for complex cases that actually require an in-person visit.
This transformation is not a theoretical concept; at DMEA 2026 it is being demonstrated for the first time as an integrated solution that visitors can experience in practice.
Process stability as an economic factor
Alongside medical quality and organisational efficiency, the economic dimension also plays a central role.
Unstable preoperative processes regularly lead to postponed operations, inefficient use of resources and unnecessary repeat contacts. These effects are rarely visible in isolation, but they add up to a considerable economic risk.
A structured, digitally controlled workflow reduces these uncertainties. Processes become more predictable, cancellations less frequent and capacity easier to use.
The economic relevance does not come from individual savings but from stabilising the system as a whole.
DMEA 2026: from concept to tangible reality
Many of the approaches described make sense in theory. The real challenge, however, lies in implementing them in everyday clinical practice.
From April 21 to 23 in Berlin, the new medudoc platform generation will be presented for the first time, mapping the preoperative workflow consistently end to end – from digital medical history and capture of findings to individualised patient education and legally sound consent.
The focus is not on the technology itself, but on the question of how digitalisation actually feels in the everyday work of the pre-anaesthesia clinic: as relief, as added structure and as a basis for better medical decisions.
Final thoughts: why now is the right time
The structural problems of preoperative processes have been known for years – but their effects are becoming ever clearer as the strain on the system increases.
At the same time, the technological prerequisites are now, for the first time, developed far enough to make genuine end-to-end integration possible.
The presentation of new platform approaches at DMEA 2026 therefore marks more than a product innovation. It exemplifies a fundamental change: away from isolated digitalisation measures, towards a preoperative workflow that is designed end to end, patient-centred and controllable.
For decision-makers in healthcare, the question is therefore less whether this development is relevant – and more how quickly and consistently it can be translated into their own organisation.
