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[Why is surgery cancelled? causes, implications, and bibliographic antecedents]
Juan Francisco Aguirre-Córdova1, Guadalupe Chávez-Vázquez, Gustavo Alfonso Huitrón-Aguilar
1Servicio de Cirugía General del Hospital General Dr. Darío Fernández Fierro, ISSSTE, Valle de México.
Gaceta Medica De Mexico
|January 16, 2004
Summary
Scheduled surgical cancellations occurred at a 23.79% rate, primarily due to patient-related issues, hospital deficiencies, and medical team factors. Implementing presurgical clinics can reduce these cancellations.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Surgical Operations
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Scheduled surgical procedures are critical for patient outcomes.
- Cancellation of surgeries leads to resource wastage and patient dissatisfaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the causes of scheduled surgical procedure cancellations.
- To review existing literature on surgical cancellations.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of 1 year of scheduled surgical records was conducted.
- Identified cancellation frequency and categorized causes into hospital, medical team, and patient factors.
Main Results:
- A total of 3,627 procedures were reviewed, with 863 (23.79%) cancellations.
- The majority of cancellations occurred in the last 4 months of the year.
- Top specialties with cancellations: Orthopedics (26.6%), General Surgery (22.13%), Gynecology (17.84%), and Ophthalmology (10.06%).
- Cancellation causes: patient-related (40%), hospital sources (30%), and medical team deficiencies (29.8%).
Conclusions:
- The overall cancellation rate was 23.79%, peaking in the final four months.
- Patient-related factors were the leading cause of cancellations.
- Hospital deficiencies and medical team issues were the secondary causes.
- Implementing situational diagnoses and presurgical assessment clinics can mitigate cancellation rates.