ePoster
Presentation Description
Institution: Department of Surgery, Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - NSW, Australia
Purpose: Recognising appendicectomy as a model for streamlining surgical procedures due to its straightforward nature and low risks, this study aims to identify common appendicectomy pathways and variations within a regional, public health district in New South Wales (NSW) Health, Australia.
Methodology: Using process mining methodology and Disco software, a secondary analysis of electronic medical records of 3,943 patients who underwent appendicectomy between January 2014 and July 2020 at two hospitals in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, NSW, Australia.
Results: Out of 3,943 patients, 3,606 (91.5%) followed a standard 12-step pathway: (1) emergency department admission, (2) surgery booking, (3) anesthesia initiation, (4) operating room entry, (5) start of surgery, (6) end of surgery, (7) end of anesthesia, (8) departure from the operating room, (9) post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) admission, (10) discharge from PACU, (11) ward admission, and (12) hospital discharge. The remaining 337 (8.5%) deviated from this pathway, primarily due to differences in local hospital practices, patient age, and health conditions. Notably, older patients with more severe diagnoses and comorbidities, especially those undergoing appendectomies at night or on weekends, often had prolonged hospital stays.
Conclusion: The appendicectomy process was largely standardised, with variations primarily arising from unique patient characteristics (e.g., age and condition severity), along with procedural aspects (e.g., local practices and surgery timing), which impacted the length of hospital stay. This suggests the importance of customised healthcare strategies and surgical scheduling adjustments for enhanced care and efficiency.
Speakers
Authors
Authors
Dr Ting Song - , Ms Nadeesha Pathiraja Rathnayaka Hitige - , Dr Kimberley J Davis - , Prof Ping Yu - , A/Prof Steven J Craig -
