Determinants of Surgical Delay Among Orthopaedic Trauma Patients in a Tertiary Care Centre in North India: A Two-Year Retrospective Study

Introduction: Traumatic injuries remain one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The delay in operation for any reason leads to increased morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stays, and overall cost. It may also lead to patient dissatisfaction and reflect inefficiency among the operating staff. The purpose of this study is to recognise and, hence, decrease the delay in the surgical management of trauma patients due to organizational reasons. Material and Methods: The present retrospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedics, Bone & Joint Hospital, GMC Jammu, over a period of 02 years, with the aim to assess the magnitude and determinants of the cancellation of elective surgical casesin a tertiary hospital. The data from 1024 patients were collected and analysed. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 41±15.5 years. The majority of the study subjects were males (66.4%), mainly belonging to the rural areas (64.9%), and about 57% subjects had either a delay or cancellation of surgery. Lack of operating theatre space was the major contributing factor to this delay (approx. 55.6%), followed by uncontrolled blood pressure. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the majority of the surgical delays were due to organisational reasons, which are avoidable, and there is room for improvement, and most importantly, the patient care will have a positive outcome.