Enrolling high-acuity emergency general surgery patients in a prospective longitudinal cohort study

Area of Science:

• General Surgery
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• High-acuity emergency general surgery (HA-EGS) impacts over 3 million patients annually, causing significant morbidity and mortality.
• The quality-of-life impact on HA-EGS survivors remains understudied due to challenges in measuring patient-reported outcomes.
• Factors like patient acuity, transfer patterns, and social determinants of health complicate outcome assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of conducting prospective studies on quality of life changes in HA-EGS survivors.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to collecting patient-reported outcome data in this population.
• To lay the groundwork for future research on the long-term impact of HA-EGS.

Main Methods:

• A feasibility study was conducted from September 2019 to April 2021.
• Collected baseline (preadmission) and 30/60-day post-surgery data on various quality-of-life indicators.
• Enrolled 100 patients, achieving a 71.9% enrollment rate and tracking follow-up completion rates.

Main Results:

• Enrollment rate was 71.9% with 100 patients participating.
• Follow-up retention rates were 65.9% at 30 days and 53.8% at 60 days.
• Longer hospital stays and nicotine use were associated with lower 30-day follow-up completion; systemic complications impacted 60-day follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Prospective studies measuring quality of life in HA-EGS survivors are feasible.
• Understanding patient characteristics and clinical factors influencing follow-up is crucial for successful data collection.
• This feasibility study provides essential insights for designing future patient-reported outcome research in HA-EGS.