Regional Expansion of Minimally Invasive Surgery for Hysterectomy: Implementation and Methodology in a Large Multispecialty Group

Abstract

Approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the US each year, making hysterectomy the second most common major operation performed in women. Several methods can be used to perform this procedure. In 2009, a Cochrane Review concluded "that vaginal hysterectomy should be performed in preference to abdominal hysterectomy, where possible. Where vaginal hysterectomy is not possible, a laparoscopic approach may avoid the need for an abdominal hysterectomy. Risks and benefits of different approaches may however be influenced by the surgeon's experience. More research is needed, particularly to examine the long-term effects of the different types of surgery."This article reviews the steps that a large multispecialty group used to teach non-open hysterectomy methods to improve the quality of care for their patients and to decrease the number of inpatient procedures and therefore costs. The percentages of each type of hysterectomy performed yearly between 2005 and 2010 were calculated, as well as the length of stay (LOS) for each method. A structured educational intervention with both didactic and hands-on exercises was created and rolled out to 12 medical centers. All patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign conditions through the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (a large multispecialty group that provides medical care to Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California) between 2005 and 2010 were included. This amounted to 26,055 hysterectomies for benign conditions being performed by more than 350 obstetrician/gynecologists (Ob/Gyns). More than 300 Ob/Gyns took the course across 12 medical centers. On the basis of hospital discharge data, the total number of hysterectomies, types of hysterectomies, and LOS for each type were identified for each year. Between 2005 and 2010, the rate of non-open hysterectomies has increased 120% (from 38% to 78%) and the average LOS has decreased 31%.