Evaluation of the Influential Factors in Cancelling Surgical Operations and Developing Management Strategies to Reduce these Factors in Shahid Kamyab Hospital of Mashhad, Iran during 2012-2013

Introduction: One of the main determinants of hospital costs is the efficiency of operating rooms, and substantial resources are allocated to the management and timely performance of surgical operations. Cancelling surgical operations is one of the main causes of healthcare inefficiency and resources waste. The present study aimed to evaluate the rate and influential factors in cancelling surgical operations in Shahid Kamyab Hospital of Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, data were collected from the hospital information system of Shahid Kamyab Hospital and classified into five surgical services, including orthopedics, neurosurgery, general surgery, facial surgeries, and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery. Causes of cancelling surgical operations were divided into six categories, including patient-related problems, surgeon-related problems, paraclinical test results, operating rooms problems, anesthesia, and hospital-related issues. Results:Among 13,674 preplanned surgical operations, 8% were orthopedic surgical operations, 4.2% were ENT operations, 3.5% were facial surgeries, and 1.1% were neurosurgeries. The most frequent causes of surgery cancellation were due to clinical problems (2.21%), refusal of the patient to pay the costs (19.1%), and surgeon-related problems (11.4%), while paraclinical test results accounted for the lowest frequency in this regard (1.1%). Conclusion: According to the results, most of the causes of surgery cancellation were patient-related. Therefore, it is suggested that patient evaluation be performed by surgeons and anesthesiologists prior to the surgical operation in order to prevent clinical problems during the surgery, offer insurance strategies, and solve the problems relating to the healthcare costs for the less privileged patients, especially those requiring surgery after accidents.

Keywords:

Hospital , Surgery cancellation , Surgical operation