Pre-emptive Planning and On-the-Day Prediction: A Scoping Review of Methods and Outcomes for Preventing Semi-Elective Surgical Cancellations

Although a widely recognised problem, there are few summarised evidence-based strategies to prevent same-day cancellation due to ICU bed availability. We sought to review published studies on approaches to mitigate the same-day cancellation of semi-elective surgeries that require post-operative ICU admission, specifically investigating the efficacy of ICU bed prediction models and pre-emptive surgical scheduling protocols. We were specifically interested in model types, stages of model development and outcome measures.