Long-term healthcare use after postoperative complications: a prospective analysis of linked primary and secondary care routine data

Abstract

Postoperative complications are associated with reduced long-term survival. We characterised healthcare use changes after postoperative complications. We linked primary and secondary care records for patients having elective surgery at four East London hospitals from 2012 to 2017, with at least 90 days of postoperative follow-up. We captured pre-specified complications (wound or urinary tract infection, pneumonia, new stroke, new myocardial infarction) using codes recorded within 90 days in primary or secondary care records. Outcomes were change in days of healthcare contact in the 2 yr before and after surgery (‘contact days’), and death in 2 yr. We report change as rate ratios (RaR) with 95% confidence intervals, age as median (inter-quartile range), and adjusted for preoperative healthcare use and confounders with a negative binomial model.