Cohort characteristics
Over the study period, 2,920,100 preoperative anesthesiology consults were performed in Ontario on 2,023,499 patients. The average patient age was 59.02 ± 19.28 years (range 1-108 years), and 46.43% were male. The annual volume of these consults doubled over the study period (Figure 1). Of patients who proceeded to have surgery within the 3 months after the anesthesiology consult, 97.58% of the consults were performed electively in the outpatient anesthesiology clinic setting.