Access to Surgery and Medical Consequences of Delays

Abstract

AbstractIn this chapter, we present the results of recent wait list studies that quantified the risk of delaying patients awaiting elective cholecystectomy and for patients accepted for coronary artery bypass surgery. Wait lists are a common tool for managing access to elective surgery. When treatment is delayed, the condition of a patient on a surgical wait list may deteriorate and require urgent medical attention. In this case, emergency admission for the awaited procedure may be regarded as an adverse effect of waiting. However, little evidence is available on the health effects of delaying surgery for various conditions. Other than preoperative mortality, adverse events experienced by patients while on a wait list have not been systematically examined. Without these data, appropriate access time for surgery is usually determined on the basis of expert opinion. Our results have implications for developing waiting-time limits for elective surgical procedure.KeywordsElective surgical proceduresAccess to careWait listsHealth effects