Causes for cancellation of elective surgical procedures in a Spanish general hospital

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Surgical Outcomes
• Hospital Administration

Background:

• Scheduled surgery cancellations negatively impact patient outcomes and hospital resource utilization.
• Understanding the prevalence and causes of cancellations is crucial for operational efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively determine the prevalence and primary causes of surgical cancellations over a 52-month period.
• To identify specific factors contributing to cancellations across medical, patient-related, and administrative categories.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection over 52 months in a public general hospital.
• Analysis of 39,115 scheduled operations to determine cancellation rates and categorize causes.

Main Results:

• An overall surgical cancellation rate of 6.5% was observed.
• Major causes included medical reasons (50%), patient-related factors (23%), and administrative/logistic problems (25%).
• Specific common causes were infections/fever (18%), patient no-shows (20%), and lack of theatre time (23%).

Conclusions:

• Medical reasons, patient factors, and administrative issues are the leading drivers of surgical cancellations.
• Targeted interventions addressing infections, patient attendance, and theatre scheduling are needed.
• Reducing cancellations can optimize resource allocation and improve surgical care delivery.