Financial burden of postoperative complications following oesophagectomy: a scoping review protocol

The rapid rise in the incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has resulted in an increasing number of patients undergoing oesophagectomy. Although novel surgical techniques are enhancing surgical outcomes, postoperative complications remain pervasive. Despite this, there are limited reviews mapping the cost of postoperative complications following oesophagectomy, and none has compared cost differences between patient groups. Such information would be invaluable in appreciating the financial burden on the healthcare system and serving to guide hospital financing decisions. This scoping review protocol outlines an approach to reviewing the literature to precipitate and inform discussions surrounding financing oesophagectomy procedures as well as funding requirements for upper gastrointestinal surgical units.

Adhering to the pertinent components of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Review Protocols guidelines, a systematic exploration will be conducted across electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Econolit, with further reference tracking of eligible studies. This review will encompass studies related to the costs associated with complications following oesophagectomy. All studies published prior to 31 October 2023 are eligible for inclusion. The process of screening and extracting data will be undertaken by two independent reviewers. Subsequently, the amassed data will be pooled and subjected to comprehensive analysis and presented descriptively, using both a mixed methods and a narrative approach.

Ethics approval was not required. The results will be communicated through established professional networks, conference presentations and publication in peer-reviewed journals.