Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Variation in surgery postponement rates in the National Health Service (NHS) in England
Authors' conclusion
Minimizing postponements and improving preoperative assessment efficiency should be part of wider initiatives to streamline perioperative pathways.
Study context
- Population
- Patients on an elective surgical pathway at preoperative assessment, 16 NHS trusts in England, two-week period in March 2024case notes reviewed
- Participants
- 8,000 patients
- Outcome
- Postponement rate (postponement of surgery during or after preoperative assessment)
Methodological detailspilot study, multicentre (16 NHS trusts)
- Pilot study
- Multicentre (16 NHS trusts)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Postponement rate
Postponements
583
7.3%
Range of postponement rates across trusts
31.9% to 1.0%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Time from referral to preoperative assessment
- Significantly shorter for day-case patients, urgent patients, patients without early screening and patients without a 'to come in' date
Reasons for postponement, routine patients
- Routine patients
- 342
- Postponed for medical rather than pathway or process reasons
- 293 (85.7%)
Wait from patient tracking list to preoperative assessment, routine patients
Days
- Half waited over
- 94
- A quarter waited
- 198
Original publication
Variation in surgery postponement rates in the NHS in England. Br J Surg. Published 12 November 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →