Evaluating a Collaborative Care Model for Inguinal Surgery in Pediatric Urology

To evaluate caregiver satisfaction with a pediatric urology practice model that emphasizes scheduling flexibility over surgeon continuity. Families could schedule surgery with any of 5 academic pediatric urologists, regardless of who performed the initial evaluation. We hypothesized that caregivers who proceeded with a different surgeon would place greater value on access and convenience over surgeon continuity.

Caregivers of boys 6 months to 12 years undergoing isolated inguinal hernia repair, hydrocelectomy, or orchiopexy were anonymously surveyed at their postoperative visit between February 2022 and December 2023. Satisfaction scores and caregiver priorities were compared between those with the same versus a different surgeon. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed.

Two hundred twenty-one of 224 caregivers (98.7%) completed the questionnaire. Among those recalling preoperative appointment wait times (n = 152), 83.6% were seen within a month. Satisfaction, measured on a 5-point Likert scale, was high for both the clinic (mean 4.90) and surgical experience (mean 4.88). Overall, 63.4% had surgery with the same surgeon seen in clinic and 27.1% with a different surgeon; 9.5% did not recall. Satisfaction did not differ significantly between the same- and different- surgeon groups (clinic: P = .07; surgery: P = .59). Caregivers who chose a different surgeon were significantly more likely to prioritize scheduling flexibility over continuity (P<.001).

High satisfaction across both groups suggests that collaborative surgical models can improve access without compromising the caregiver experience. Scheduling flexibility was a key priority among those choosing a different surgeon, supporting this model as a framework for other practices.