Preventing Surgical Delay and Cancellation with Patient-Centered Interventions

Delay and cancellation can significantly impact cost and outcomes among surgical patients. While the causes of delay and cancellation are not fully enumerated, possible reasons include delivery-related causes such as facility, equipment, and provider availability as well as patient-related issues such as readiness and health status. Despite limited research explaining patient-related causes, there are many studies that evaluate patient-centered interventions to decrease delay and cancellation. This article highlights patient-centered interventions including preoperative clinics, preoperative screening, and focused education that have been shown to reduce delay and cancellation. This information provides perianesthesia nurses and advanced practice nurses ideas to maximize their roles in improving efficiency by prevention of delay and cancellation. This article should also stimulate additional research to help better understand the causes and the role of the nurse in the implementation of evidence-based practice projects that use patient-centered interventions.