Perioperative Care Framework

The ANZCA Perioperative Care Framework maps the patient’s journey from the time surgery is contemplated through to an optimal outcome.

Aims and objectives

The Perioperative Care Framework was originally developed in December 2021, and an update is expected in 2025. The framework:

  • Identifies key steps and principles in the surgical patient’s perioperative care journey.
  • Provides recommendations about how these principles might be operationalised in practice. 
  • Provides resources that support the evidence behind these recommendations and/or their implementation in practice. 


The Perioperative Care Framework has been designed to be a practical resource for those developing a perioperative medicine service and can help guide training, service development and improvement, and research in perioperative medicine. Recommendations and resources will be updated as the field continues to evolve. The framework is one of the resources for perioperative medicine managed and promoted by ANZCA's new Chapter of Perioperative Medicine and its committees.

How to use it

The Perioperative Care Framework diagram is an interactive graphic and is best viewed in full screen. The full screen button is located on the bottom right hand side of the diagram. Principles and recommendations can be accessed in each key step. Definitions relating to perioperative care are located on the right hand side of the diagram. Resources and references used in the development of this framework are also located on the right hand side of the diagram.