The DayCOR clinical quality registry: Recording patient-reported measures in day care anaesthesia

Day case surgery is changing, with older and sicker patients presenting, new procedures occurring and many previously inpatient procedures converted to day-stay. The impact of these changes and additions, especially the management of elderly patients, was assessed using a digital survey of patient-reported measures commencing in March 2018. Running initially in two hospitals, spreading to include a large group of Private Hospitals in Melbourne, the survey was offered to all patients attending the facilities, following an introduction of the survey process in patient admission papers with consent obtained on the day of surgery. A 15-question digital questionnaire was sent to each consenting patient by text and email 24 h post-discharge. The patient could opt out at that stage by not opening the message; 242,025 adult patients responded (response rate of 84%), with 4.5% opting out and 9% failing to complete the survey. An 'Alert,' generated digitally for any problem identified in the response, was emailed to the treating anaesthetist and to an oversight group comprised of an anaesthetist, a nurse and an administrator to facilitate appropriate action and early resolution. This digital survey saves the staff costs associated with initiating individual patient contact and fully satisfied the requirements for patient-reported outcome measures and experience measures. As well as early indication of the patient's postoperative course, confirmation of the ability to manage the elderly patient and the reliability of transferring inpatient procedures to day case management were indicated.