In the first seven months of this fiscal year, the Interior Health Authority had to cancel nearly 1,400 surgeries within 48 hours of the scheduled surgery date.
The numbers, provided exclusively to NL Newsday, show this amounts to 4.2 per cent of the total number of cases – a slight increase over last year.
The top reason for postponed surgeries this year according to the IHA: more urgent cases, 395 cases, to be exact.
The second leading cause: the operating room running late. That was behind the cancellation of 302 surgeries.
David Matear is the IHA West’s executive director for hospitals and communities.
“When surgery must, for whatever reason that is, patients are notified by the hospital staff as quickly as possible. And the procedure is re-booked again as quickly as possible but also in accordance with the surgical priority.”
The good news, Royal Inland Hospital has postponed fewer surgeries this year compared to last, a total of 241 this year compared to 287 over the same period last year.
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Surgical Numbers – IH and RIH
In the first seven months of this fiscal year (2018-19), Interior Health hospitals postponed a total of 1,382 surgeries within 48 hours of the scheduled surgery date. This amounts to 4.2 per cent of total cases performed as scheduled. The top reasons in 2018-19 were:
- For more urgent cases – 395 (% of total cases performed – 1.2 %)
- Room running late – 302 (0.9 %)
- Patient ill/request/no show – 284 (0.9 %)
- By Surgeon/anesthetist – 210 (0.6 %)
In 2017-18, during the same period, Interior Health hospitals postponed a total of 1,293 surgeries within 48 hours of the scheduled surgery date. This amounts to 4.0 per cent of total cases performed as scheduled. The top reasons in 2017-18 were:
- For more urgent cases – 380 (% of total cases performed 1.2 %)
- Room running late – 332 (1.0 %)
- By surgeon/anesthetist – 263 (0.8 %)
- Patient ill/request/no show – 211 (0.7 %)
In the first seven months of this fiscal year, Royal Inland Hospital postponed a total of 241 surgeries within 48 hours of the scheduled surgery date. This amounts to 3.4 per cent of total cases performed as scheduled. The top reasons in 2018-19 were:
- For more urgent cases – 75 (% of total cases performed 1.1 %)
- Room running late – 64 (0.9 %)
- Patient ill/request/no show – 50 (0.7 %)
- By surgeon/anesthetist – 41 (0.6 %)
In 2017-18, during the same period, Royal Inland Hospital postponed a total of 287 surgeries within 48 hours of the scheduled surgery date. This amounts to 4.0 per cent of total cases performed as scheduled. The top reasons for postponements in 2017-18 at RIH were:
- Room running late – 110 (1.5 %)
- By surgeon/anesthetist – 60 (0.8 %)
- For more urgent cases – 47 (0.7 %)
- Patient ill/request/no show – 33 (0.5 %)