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Patient safety in accredited office surgical facilities
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Patient safety in accredited office-based plastic surgery facilities is excellent. Complication rates are low, with deaths occurring in 1 in 57,000 cases, comparable to other ambulatory surgical settings.
Area of Science:
- Medical Economics
- Patient Safety
- Ambulatory Surgery
Background:
- Healthcare cost containment is a major concern.
- Ambulatory surgical facilities are increasingly utilized.
- Office surgical facilities offer cost advantages over hospital outpatient departments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate patient safety in accredited office surgical facilities.
- To compare safety outcomes of office-based surgery with other ambulatory settings.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaires were sent to facilities accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF).
- Data on operative procedures and complications were collected over a 5-year period.
- A high response rate of 57.7% was achieved from 241 accredited facilities.
Main Results:
- Over 400,000 procedures were reported.
- Significant complications occurred in 1 in 213 cases.
- Deaths were infrequent, occurring in 1 in 57,000 cases (0.0017%).
Conclusions:
- Accredited office surgical facilities demonstrate an excellent safety record for plastic surgery.
- The overall risk in accredited office surgical facilities is comparable to free-standing or hospital ambulatory surgical facilities.
- Board-certified plastic surgeons perform procedures safely in accredited office settings.