A correlation between pre-admission preparation and same-day surgery cancellations

Abstract

<p>Patients undergoing surgical procedures must have adequate surgical preparation for anesthesia, procedures, and post-operative care to avoid cancellation. The primary focus of this quality improvement project was to determine if a correlation between pre-admission assessment preparedness and same-day surgery cancellation rates existed. The Ottawa Model of Research was used as a reference to help guide the project. The two-month internal audit provided documentation of incomplete pre-admission preparations, which placed a potential risk of surgical cancellations. A pre-admission policy was revised to enforce the pre-admission regulation. The change required the submission of patient documentation forty-eight hours prior to admission. This allowed ample time to adequately assess a patients&rsquo; readiness for surgery. The department experienced a 58% reduction in documentation retrieval attempts. The revised policy was implemented to decrease the reports of preventable cancellations. Post policy enforcement, the pre-admission testing unit experienced an 18% decrease in documentation retrieval attempts. Swiss International Systems (SISCom) reported a 2% decrease in same-day surgery cancellations rate. A breakdown analysis determined the cancellation causes.</p>