Background
The cancellation of planned surgeries is a well-recognized quality problem. High cancellation rates may indicate that scarce health resources are being used ineffectively, thereby increasing costs. Patients are directly affected by cancellations; they increase waiting times and may lead to harmful delays of operations. Further, the cancellation and the extra waiting time may cause physical and emotional distress.
Previous research has addressed how cancellations can be reduced through earlier and better clinical pre-assessment and improved surgical scheduling. Interventions to reduce cancellations have been evaluated from a management and a medical perspective focusing on cost, length of stay, improved efficiency, and reduced post-operative complications. To our knowledge, the effects of interventions to reduce cancellations have not been explored from the perspective of those who are affected by them - the patients.
We have previously reported the case of a Norwegian district general hospital that redesigned its pathway for elective surgery and achieved a sustained reduction in cancellations. The purpose of the current study was to explore patient experiences with the interventions to reduce the cancellations.