Identifying and Mitigating Risk Factors for Last Minute Otolaryngology Surgical Cancelations

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Health Services Research
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Surgical no-shows represent a significant challenge in healthcare, leading to wasted resources and reduced access to care.
• Understanding patient-specific risk factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions to mitigate no-show rates in otolaryngology (ENT) surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patient-based risk factors associated with otolaryngologic surgical no-shows.
• To compare surgical no-show rates in otolaryngology before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective chart review was conducted on otolaryngology surgical patients over a 3-month period before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Data collected included distance from hospital, procedure type, diagnosis, cancellation reasons, subspecialty, pre-operative appointment attendance, and pre-operative testing results.
• Patients were categorized into completed surgery, canceled >48 hours prior, or canceled ≤48 hours prior.

Main Results:

• Elective cases had significantly higher no-show rates (24%) compared to non-elective cases (16.3%).
• Patients missing pre-operative testing appointments were significantly more likely to cancel surgery within 48 hours.
• Rhinology subspecialty had the highest no-show rate (30.4%), with significant differences noted between subspecialties.

Conclusions:

• Key risk factors for otolaryngologic surgical no-shows include failure to attend pre-operative appointments, undergoing elective surgery, and specific subspecialties like rhinology.
• No significant change in no-show risk factors was observed between the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods.