Keywords
surgical procedures
Time-to-surgery
Surgical delays
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: To determine the frequency of delays in elective orthopedic surgeries and to identify patient-related and hospital-related factors contributing to these delays in a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: A total of 378 patients aged 18–60 years scheduled for elective orthopedic procedures were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Patients were categorized according to the Lankester classification into Groups A, B, and C based on recommended time frames for surgery. Any delay beyond the recommended period was documented. Causes of delay were classified as patient-related or hospital-related using predefined criteria. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 25.
Results: Out of 378 patients, 227 (60.1%) experienced a delay in their scheduled orthopedic procedure. Patient-related factors were the most common causes of delay, with medical co-morbidities accounting for 17.0% of cases, followed by financial constraints (11%) and patients who broke their NPO before surgery (6.87%). Hospital-related factors included lack of theatre time (14%), procedural lapses (7.14%), and electrical power or equipment failure (3.96%). We did not find any statistically significant association between delay of the procedure and gender, cause of injury, body part affected, or Lankester priority group (p >0.05).
Conclusion: Delays in elective orthopedic surgeries were frequent and predominantly influenced by modifiable patient-related and system-related factors rather than demographic or clinical characteristics.
Keywords: Orthopedic Procedures, Elective Surgical Procedures, Time-to-Treatment, Tertiary Care Centers.
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