Reasons for cancellation of elective neurosurgical operations at a referral hospital In Malawi

Abstract

Introduction: Unanticipated cancellations of scheduled elective operations may lead to dissatisfaction among patients, increase costs, and also reflect inefficiency in the management of the operating theatre. Knowing the reasons, appropriate steps can be implemented to reduce the rate of cancellations of elective operations. Materials and methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Malawi. The aim was to determine the rate and causes of cancellation of elective neurosurgical procedures and to suggest changes that can reduce such cancellations. Scheduled elective neurosurgical procedures were reviewed from theatre records from October 2021 to October 2022. Operative cancellations were defined as those patients who were scheduled on the operative list but did not have the planned surgery on the intended date. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.  Results: According to this audit, 21 % of the 295 elective surgical procedures were cancelled, with the three most frequent reasons for cancellation being insufficient theatre time (40%), uncontrolled medical disease (15%), and unavailability of ICU beds for postoperative care (15%).  Conclusion: The cancellation rate in this study was high. Appropriate measures need to be taken to improve theatre utilization and efficiency at the referral hospital.