Development of consensus-derived quality indicators for laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

Abstract

BackgroundSynoptic operative reporting is a solution to the poor quality of narrative reports. ObjectiveTo develop operative report quality indicators (QI) for laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) to generate validated parameters by which these reports can be evaluated and improved. SettingUniversity hospital in Canada. MethodsA Delphi protocol was used to determine QIs for LRYGB reporting. Bariatric surgeons across Canada were recruited along with key physician stakeholders to participate via a secure web-based platform. Participants initially submitted potential QIs. These were grouped by theme. Items were rated on 9-point Likert scales in subsequent rounds. Scores of 70% or greater were used for inclusion consensus, and 30% or less denoted exclusion. Elements scoring 30% to 70% were recirculated by runoff in subsequent rounds to generate the final list of QIs. ResultsFour community and 4 academic bariatric surgeons were invited, representing all provinces performing LRYGB. The 4 multidisciplinary invitees included 1 minimally invasive/acute care surgeon, 1 tertiary abdominal radiologist, 1 gastroenterologist performing advanced endoscopy, and 1 general surgeon with expertise in synoptic reporting. Round 1 achieved an 83.3% (10/12) response and identified 91 potential items for consideration. Round 2 had a 100% response, and 69 items reached inclusion consensus. The third round achieved a 100% response and resulted in 75 QIs reaching final inclusion consensus. ConclusionThis study established consensus-derived multidisciplinary QIs for LRYGB operative reports. This will allow further assessment of the quality of narrative reports and afford the development of a synoptic operative report that may ameliorate identified deficiencies.