Open AccessIncidence and Reasons for a Surgical Cancellation at a Hospital in Rwanda
Author(s) -
Thierry Uwera,
Joselyne Mukantwari,
David Ryamukuru,
Lilian Omondi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2616-9827
pISSN - 2616-9819
DOI - 10.4314/rjmhs.v4i3.7
Subject(s) - medicine , checklist , incidence (geometry) , otorhinolaryngology , obstetrics and gynaecology , perioperative , general surgery , surgical procedures , surgery , psychology , pregnancy , physics , biology , optics , cognitive psychology , genetics
BackgroundSurgery cancellation is a challenging and costly event resulting in operating theatre inefficiency and psychological and financial problems for the patients and their families. This study aimed to find out the incidence and reasons for surgical cancellation at a Rwandan hospital.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 736 patients’ files obtained from theatre registry lists of surgical operations done from January to March 2017. The American Association of Perioperative Nurses (AORN) checklist for documenting cancelled surgical cases was used to establish the rate and reasons for cancellation. Data were analyzed using frequency and percentage descriptive statistics.ResultsOut of the 736 surgeries booked, 179 (24.3%) were cancelled as follows: Orthopedic and general surgeries (28.2%) respectively, gynecology and obstetrics (27.4%), urology surgeries (15.5%), maxillofacial surgeries (15.9%), ENT (15.6%) and plastic surgeries (13.3%). Time constrain/long list (19.6%), acute change in medical status (10.6%), non-turn-up of the patient (8.4%), and abnormal lab findings (7.8%) were the most prevalent reasons.ConclusionThe surgical cancellation rate at the study hospital was 24%, increasing with the number of patients booked and the type of surgical procedure. A prospective study is required to gain more insight into the reason for cancellations, mostly amenable to mitigation measures.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(3):379-386