Measuring surgical quality: which measure should we trust?

A patient-centered textbook outcome measure effectively discriminates contemporary elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair quality

BACKGROUND

There is persistent controversy surrounding the merit of surgical volume benchmarks being used solely as a sufficient proxy for assessing the quality of open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Importantly, operative volume quotas may fail to reflect a more nuanced and comprehensive depiction of surgical outcomes most relevant to patients. Accordingly, we herein propose a patient-centered textbook outcome (TO) for AAA repair that is analogous to other large magnitude extirpative operations performed in other surgical specialties, and test its feasibility to discriminate hospital performance using Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) volume guidelines.

METHODS

All elective open infrarenal AAA repairs (OAR) in the SVS-Vascular Quality Initiative were examined (2009-2022). The primary end point was a TO, defined as a composite of no in-hospital complication or reintervention/reoperation, length of stay of ≤10 days, home discharge, and 1-year survival rates. The discriminatory ability of the TO measure was assessed by comparing centers that did or did not meet the SVS annual OAR volume threshold recommendation (high volume ≥10 OARs/year; low volume <10 OARs/year). Logistic regression and multivariable models adjusted for patient and procedure-related differences.

RESULTS

A total of 9657 OARs across 198 centers were analyzed (mean age, 69.5 ± 8.4 years; female, 26%; non-White, 12%). A TO was identified in 44% (n = 4293) of the overall cohort. The incidence of individual TO components included no in-hospital complication (61%), no in-hospital reintervention or reoperation (92%), length of stay of ≤10 days (78%), home discharge (76%), and 1-year survival (91%). Median annual center volume was 6 (interquartile range, 3-10) and a majority of centers did not meet the SVS volume suggested threshold (<10 OARs/year, n = 148 [74%]). However, most patients (6265 of 9657 [65%]) underwent OAR in high-volume hospitals. When comparing high- and low-volume centers, a TO was more likely to occur in high-volume institutions: ≥10 OARs/year (46%) vs <10 OARs/year (42%; P = .0006). The association of a protective effect for higher center volume remained after risk adjustment (odds ratio, 1.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.26; P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

TOs for elective OAR reflect a more nuanced and comprehensive patient centered proxy to measure care delivery, consistent with other surgical specialties. Surprisingly, a TO was achieved in <50% of elective AAA cases nationally. Although the likelihood of a TO seems to correlate with SVS center volume recommendations, it more importantly reflects elements which may be prioritized by patients and thus offers insights into further improving real-world AAA care.

Improvement of perioperative outcomes of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) resections and the influence of minimal invasive surgery

BACKGROUND

Safety of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) is still under debate since it might increase the risk of tumour rupture, especially in larger tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate trends in treatment and perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing resections of gastric GISTs over time.

METHODS

This was a multicentre retrospective study of consecutive patients who underwent wedge resection or partial gastrectomy for localized gastric GIST at five GIST reference centres between January 2009 and January 2022. To evaluate changes in treatment and perioperative outcomes over time, patients were divided into four equal periods. Perioperative outcomes were analysed separately and as a novel composite measure textbook outcome (TO).

RESULTS

In total 385 patients were included. Patient and tumour characteristics did not change over time, except for median age (62-65-68-68 years, p = 0.002). The proportion of MIS increased (4.0%-9.8%-37.4%-53.0 %, p < 0.001). Postoperative complications (Clavien Dindo ≥2; 22%-15%-11%-10 %, p = 0.146), duration of admission (6-6-5-4 days, p < 0.001) and operating time (92-94-77-73 min, p = 0.007) decreased over time while TO increased (54.0%- 52.7%-65.9%-76.0 %, p < 0.001). No change was seen in perioperative ruptures (6.0%- 3.6%-1.6%-3.0 %, p = 0.499). MIS was correlated with less CD ≥ 2 complications (p = 0.006), shorter duration of admission (p < 0.001) and more TO (p < 0.001). Similar results were observed in tumours ≤5 cm and >5 cm.

CONCLUSION

A larger percentage of gastric GIST were treated with MIS over time. MIS was correlated with less complications, shorter duration of admission and more TO. Tumour rupture rates remained low over time.

Textbook outcome in the surgical treatment of liver hydatid cyst

BACKGROUND

Textbook outcome is a composite measure used in surgery to define the ideal postoperative period and to assess the quality of care. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of textbook outcome and the factors independently associated with its achievement following surgical treatment of liver hydatid cysts.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of patients operated on for liver hydatid cysts between January 2006 and December 2021. Textbook outcome was achieved when all the following criteria were fulfilled: no mortality within 90 days, no major complications within 90 days, no hospital readmission within 90 days, and no prolonged hospital stay. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with textbook outcome.

RESULTS

During the study period, 296 patients underwent surgery. Textbook outcome was recorded in 65.9% (195/296). Female gender (odds ratio 2.02; P = .010), noncomplicated cyst (odds ratio 3.97, P < .001), and radical surgery (odds ratio 2.26, P = .003) were the variables associated with a higher probability of achieving textbook outcome.

CONCLUSION

Textbook outcome may be a useful measure to assess the variations in surgical management between different centers, and to improve quality of care after liver hydatid cysts resection.

Association of preoperative albumin–bilirubin with surgical textbook outcomes following laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aims

Recently, the effectiveness of “textbook outcomes (TO)” in the evaluation of surgical quality has been recognized by more and more scholars. This study tended to examine the association between preoperative albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grades and the incidence of achieving or not achieving TO (non-TO) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy.

Methods

The patients were stratified into two groups: ALBI grade 1 (ALBI ≤ -2.60) and ALBI grade 2/3 (ALBI > -2.60). The characteristics of patients and the incidence of non-TO were compared. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine whether ALBI grade was independently associated with TO.

Results

In total, 378 patients were enrolled, including 194 patients (51.3%) in the ALBI grade 1 group and 184 patients (48.7%) in the ALBI grade 2/3 group. In the whole cohort, 198 patients (52.4%) did not achieve TO, and the incidence of non-TO in the ALBI grade 2/3 group was obviously higher than that in the ALBI grade 1 group (n = 112, 60.9% vs. n = 86, 44.3%, P = 0.001). The multivariate analyses showed that ALBI grade 2/3 was an independent risk factor for non-TO (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.30–2.94, P = 0.023).

Conclusions

More than half (52.4%) of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma did not achieve TO after laparoscopic hepatectomy, and preoperative ALBI grade 2/3 was significantly associated with non-TO. Improving the liver function reserve of patients before operation, thereby reducing the ALBI grade, may increase the probability for patients to reach TO and enable patients to benefit more from surgery.

Ascertaining service quality and medical practitioners' sensitivity towards surgical instruments using SERVQUAL

Purpose

Service quality (SQ) has become an essential and indispensable component in healthcare and many other industries. SQ can deliver guaranteed stakeholder value and consequent consumer delight in the healthcare sector. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationships of various SERVQUAL elements with respect to the SQ of surgical instrument suppliers among surgeons.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a sample of 112 surgeons working in the USA using the “snowball sampling” technique. A few standardised questionnaires, including SERQUAL, were used to collect the data. R-programming was used to perform structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis on the collected data.

Findings

The research study identified that service delivery factors and the SQ of surgical instruments contribute significantly towards medical practitioner sensitivity in the US healthcare industry. Word of mouth (WOM) did not have any significant impact on the medical practitioners' sensitivity.

Originality/value

A review of related literature revealed that studies that examine the surgeon's perspectives of SQ are scarce. Thus, the present study is directed towards this gap in literature. The findings of the study are significant in nature and have made a substantial contribution to management literature.

Textbook Outcome: Nationwide Analysis of a Novel Quality Measure in Pancreatic Surgery

BACKGROUND

Textbook outcome (TO) is a multidimensional measure for quality assurance, reflecting the "ideal" surgical outcome.

METHODS

Post-hoc analysis of patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) or distal pancreatectomy (DP) for all indications between 2014 and 2017, queried from the nationwide prospective Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Audit. An international survey was conducted among 24 experts from 10 countries to reach consensus on the requirements for TO in pancreatic surgery. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify TO predictors. Between-hospital variation in TO rates was compared using observed-versus-expected rates.

RESULTS

Based on the survey (92% response rate), TO was defined by the absence of postoperative pancreatic fistula, bile leak, postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (all ISGPS grade B/C), severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥III), readmission, and in-hospital mortality. Overall, 3341 patients were included (2633 (79%) PD and 708 (21%) DP) of whom 60.3% achieved TO; 58.3% for PD and 67.4% for DP. On multivariable analysis, ASA class 3 predicted a worse TO rate after PD (ASA 3 OR 0.59 [0.44-0.80]), whereas a dilated pancreatic duct (>3 mm) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were associated with a better TO rate (OR 2.22 [2.05-3.57] and OR 1.36 [1.14-1.63], respectively). For DP, female sex and the absence of neoadjuvant therapy predicted better TO rates (OR 1.38 [1.01-1.90] and OR 2.53 [1.20-5.31], respectively). When comparing institutions, the observed-versus-expected rate for achieving TO varied from 0.71 to 1.46 per hospital after casemix-adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS

TO is a novel quality measure in pancreatic surgery. TO varies considerably between pancreatic centers, demonstrating the potential benefit of quality assurance programs.

Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XVI: The VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program

As the result of a congressional mandate, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) undertook an initiative called the National VA Surgical Risk study. The purpose of this study was to collect information on its surgical patients to determine outcome data, adjusted for patient risk factors. In 1994, the VA started its National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP). These efforts were one of the earliest well-done nationwide systems to study and improve outcomes in surgery adjusted for patient risk. Between 1991 and 2006, the VA hospitals observed a decrease of mortality of 47% and a decrease of morbidity of 43% of their patients in the first 30 days after an operation.