Local Welfare Management in the System Under Pressure - Advantages of Elective Surgery, 2010

The cancellation of planned surgeries causes prolonged wait times, harm to patients, and is a waste of scarce resources. To reduce high cancellation rates in a Norwegian general hospital, the pathway for elective surgery was redesigned. The changes included earlier clinical assessment of patients, better planning and documentation systems, and increased involvement of patients in the scheduling of surgeries. This study evaluated the outcomes of this new pathway for elective surgery and explored which factors affected the outcomes. We collected the number of planned operations, performed operations, and cancellations per month from the hospital's patient administrative system.