Audit of Plastic Surgery Activities in West Africa (Ivory Coast): Key Performance Indicators From 568 Consecutive...

In Africa, there has been limited research on audits in plastic surgery (PS). This study analyzed key performance indicators from the PS department at the University Hospital of Treichville in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 568 patient files collected between January 2018 and May 2019 (17 mo). The variables assessed included demographic profiles; clinic data (recruitment methods, treatment decisions); ward metrics (number of hospital days, average length of stay, average bed occupancy rate); emergency cases (conditions and surgery); elective procedures (number of postponed cases, number of revision procedures, postoperative outcomes); and outpatient wound care (number of dressings, outcomes).

A total of 568 patients were included in the study: 370 men (65.14%) and 198 women (34.85%), yielding a sex ratio of 1.86 to 1. The mean age was 41.78 years (range: 1-80 y). Conditions treated included skin and soft tissue defects (n = 323) and hand trauma or congenital conditions (n = 241). Surgery was performed on 406 of the 568 (71.47%) patients, including 276 elective (67.98%) and 130 emergency cases (32.02%). The average length of hospital stay was 9.9 days, with a bed occupancy rate of 40.8%. Uneventful outcomes were recorded for 368 of 383 (96.08%) patients, with 1 inpatient death. A total of 112 consultations were provided to other departments.

The audits of our PS activities highlighted the need for structured data collection. Evaluation of sociodemographic factors, patient conditions, organizational metrics, and key performance indicators identified areas for improvement.