Pediatric hernia repair: 1-stop shopping

Impact of consensus guideline publication on the timing of elective pediatric umbilical hernia repair

BACKGROUND

The American Academy of Pediatrics published consensus guidelines advising observation of asymptomatic umbilical hernias until age 4 or 5, given unnecessary risks of early intervention and substantial practice variation. Yet, the impact of guidelines on early repair (age <4) or if certain groups remain at risk for avoidable intervention is unclear.

METHODS

This retrospective study used data from children's hospitals participating in the Pediatric Health Information System database. Children aged 17 years and younger who underwent umbilical hernia repair from July 2017 to August 2022 were eligible for inclusion. Children with recurrent hernias, an emergency, or urgent presentation were excluded. An interrupted time series using segmented multivariable logistic regression estimated the association of guideline publication in November 2019 with the odds of guideline-adherent repair (age ≥4) after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and hospital-level random effects.

RESULTS

16,544 children underwent repair, of which 3,115 (18.8%) were children <4 years old. After adjustment, guideline publication was associated with an immediate increase in guideline-adherent repairs (odds ratio = 1.25 95% confidence interval = 1.05-1.49). The interrupted time series found that each month after publication was associated with a 2% increase in the odds of guideline-adherent repair (odds ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.03). Children with public insurance were nearly 20% less likely to receive guideline-adherent repair than privately insured children (odds ratio = 0.82, 95% confidence interval = 0.74-0.91). Children in the Midwest had lower odds of guideline-adherent repair (Midwest versus Northeast: odds ratio = 0.45. 95% confidence interval = 0.24-0.84).

CONCLUSION

Guideline publication was associated with greater odds of guideline-adherent repair, yet public insurance coverage and Midwest location remain significant predictors of early repair against recommendations.

Patient experience or patient satisfaction? A systematic review of child- and family-reported experience measures in pediatric surgery

PURPOSE

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) are increasingly recognized as important health care quality indicators. PREMs measure patients' perception of the care they have received, differing from satisfaction ratings, which measure their expectations. The use of PREMs in pediatric surgery is limited, prompting this systematic review to assess their characteristics and identify areas for improvement.

METHODS

A search was conducted in eight databases from inception until January 12, 2022, to identify PREMs used with pediatric surgical patients, with no language restrictions. We focused on studies of patient experience but also included studies that assessed satisfaction and sampled experience domains. The quality of the included studies was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS

Following title and abstract screening of 2633 studies, 51 were included for full-text review, of which 22 were subsequently excluded because they measured only patient satisfaction rather than experience, and 14 were excluded for a range of other reasons. Out of the 15 included studies, questionnaires used in 12 studies were proxy-reported by parents and in 3 by both parents and children; none focused only on the child. Most instruments were developed in-house for each specific study, without patients' involvement in the process, and were not validated.

CONCLUSIONS

Although PROMs are increasingly used in pediatric surgery, PREMs are not yet in use, being typically substituted by satisfaction surveys. Significant efforts are needed to develop and implement PREMs in pediatric surgical care, in order to effectively capture children's and families' voices.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

One-Stop Surgery: An Innovation to Limit Hospital Visits in Children

INTRODUCTION

 One-stop surgery (OSS) allows for same-day outpatient clinic visit, preoperative assessment, and surgical repair. This study aims to determine the efficiency, (cost-)effectiveness, and family satisfaction of one-stop inguinal hernia surgery compared with usual care.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

 Children (≥ 3 months) with inguinal hernia and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades I-II, scheduled for OSS (intervention) or regular treatment (control) between March 1, 2017, and December 1, 2018, were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria consisted of age less than 3 months and ASA grades III-IV. The primary outcome measure was treatment efficiency (i.e., total number of hospital visits and waiting time [days] between referral and surgery). Secondary outcome measures were the effectiveness in terms of complication and recurrence rate, and parent-reported satisfaction and cost-effectiveness using the Dutch Pediatric Quality of Life Healthcare Satisfaction and Institute for Medical Technology Assessment Productivity Cost Questionnaire.

RESULTS

 Ninety-one (intervention: 54; control: 37) patients (56% boys) were included. Median (interquartile range) number of hospital visits was lower in the intervention group (1 vs 3; p < 0.001). All but one of the OSS patients (98%) were discharged home on the day of surgery. Postoperative complication (1.9% vs 2.7%; p = 0.787) and recurrence rates (0% vs 2.7%; p = 0.407) did not differ between the intervention and control patients. "General satisfaction," "satisfaction with communication," and "inclusion of family" were higher after OSS, while satisfaction about "information," "technical skills," and "emotional needs" were similar. Median (range) follow-up was 28 (15-36) months.

CONCLUSIONS

 Pediatric one-stop inguinal hernia repair seems to be an effective treatment strategy that limits the number of hospital visits and provides enhanced family satisfaction without compromising the quality of care.

Factors impacting parental and child satisfaction in the perioperative setting

Understanding the different modifiable and non-modifiable factors and their positive or negative influence on parental and child satisfaction is essential to providing high-quality perioperative care. The purpose of this review is to focus on the perioperative environment and to report the various modifiable and non-modifiable factors that are associated with satisfaction. We found that factors such as quality of clinician-patient communication, clinician attitudes, teamwork, shared decision-making, and improved perioperative information were associated with increased parent and child satisfaction. Interventions such as preparation programs integrating role-play, teaching of coping skills, and family-centered programs were highly rated by parents and children. Healthcare providers and institutions should consider the above variables when treating children and their parents in the perioperative setting.

Single Visit Evaluation and Tympanostomy Tube Placement for the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Children

OBJECTIVE

To review our experiences with development of a single visit surgery (SVS) program for children with recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) undergoing tympanostomy tube (TT) placement the same day as their otolaryngology surgical consultation.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort analysis.

METHODS

Retrospective series of patients participating in SVS from inception March 1, 2014 to April 30, 2020 were analyzed, with attention to factors associated with increasing interest and participation in SVS and parent experiences/satisfaction.

RESULTS

A total of 224 children had TT placed through SVS for AOM management. The average age of patients was 18.1 months (standard deviation 7.8 months), and 130 (58.0%) were male. The median interval between initial contact to schedule SVS, and the SVS date was 15 days (interquartile range 9-23 days). When analyzing year-over-year volumes from inception of SVS, notable increases were seen in 2016 and 2017 after a radio advertisement was played locally. A marked increase in volume was noted after implementation of a Decision Tree Scheduling (DTS) algorithm for children with recurrent AOM. Sixty-six (28.8%) procedures were performed after institution of DTS. A parent survey demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with the SVS experience. Estimations of savings to families in terms of time away from work demonstrated potential for indirect healthcare benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

SVS for TT placement was a successful, alternative model of care for management of children with AOM. Marketing strategies regarding SVS, and the inclusion of SVS pathway in DTS platforms increased rates of interest and choice of this option. Parents of children undergoing TT through SVS were satisfied with the overall experience.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV Laryngoscope, 2021.

One-stop routing for surgical interventions: a cost-analysis of endoscopic groin repair

BACKGROUND

Single-visit (SV) totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair is an efficient service without impairment of safety or complication rate. Data on the economic impact of this approach are rare. The aim of this study was to compare the costs between the SV TEP and the regular TEP in an employed healthy population from a hospital and societal point of view.

METHODS

Retrospectively collected hospital costs and prospectively collected societal costs were obtained from patients treated between July 2016 and January 2018. Outcome measures consisted of all documented institutional care, productivity loss and medical consumption.

RESULTS

For analysing the hospital costs, a total of 116 SV patients were matched to 116 regular patients. The hospital costs of a mean SV patient were €1148.78 compared to €1242.84 for a regular patient, with a mean difference of €94.06. Prospective analyses of 50 SV patients and 50 regular patients demonstrated higher societal costs for a mean regular patient (€2188.33) compared to a mean SV patient (€1621.44). The mean total cost difference between a SV TEP repair and a regular TEP repair equalled €660.95 corresponding to a 19.3% decrease in costs.

CONCLUSIONS

This comprehensive cost-analysis showed that in an employed, healthy population, the SV TEP repair outprices the regular TEP repair, with savings of €660.95 per patient, reflecting a 19.3% decrease in costs. This routing is mainly interesting from a societal point of view as the difference is mainly impacted by a decrease in societal costs.

Single-visit surgery: An evaluation from an institutional perspective

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Elective ambulatory surgical care traditionally involves three independent visits. Single-Visit Surgery (SVS) is an alternative surgical model that consolidates care into one visit. Evaluation of the effect of this novel program on hospital operations is limited. The objective of this study was to analyze SVS from an institutional perspective.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patients scheduled for SVS at a freestanding children's hospital between January 2016 and August 2017. Data collected included clinic "no show" rates, operating room (OR) utilization, reimbursement rates, and postoperative visits.

RESULTS

There were 89 patients scheduled for SVS, of which 63% (n=56) were male, and the median age was 6 years [IQR, 4-9]. The SVS clinic "no show" rate was 2% (n=2) compared to the pediatric surgery clinic "no show" rate of 11% (p=0.01). The SVS OR block utilization rate was 90%. Payment was received from third-party payors for 92% of consultations and 100% of operative procedures without securing prior authorization. Postoperatively 25% (n=17) of patients presented to clinic for follow-up, and one child presented to the emergency department for vomiting. There were no hospital admissions.

CONCLUSION

Single-Visit Surgery is an alternative model of ambulatory surgical care that improves institutional efficiency while also enhancing the patient experience.

TYPE OF STUDY

Retrospective cohort review LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Clinic-day surgery for children: a patient and staff perspective

INTRODUCTION

For the past 3 years, our institution has implemented a same clinic-day surgery (CDS) program, where common surgical procedures are performed the same day as the initial clinic evaluation. We sought to evaluate the patient and faculty/staff satisfaction following the implementation of this program.

METHODS

After IRB approval, patients presenting for the CDS between 2014 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Of these, patient families who received CDS were contacted to perform a telephone survey focusing on their overall satisfaction and to obtain feedback. In addition, feedback from faculty/staff members directly involved in the program was obtained to determine barriers and satisfaction with the program.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients received CDS, with the most commonly performed procedures being inguinal hernia repair (34%) and umbilical hernia repair (24%). Twenty (69%) patients agreed to perform the telephone survey. Parents were overall satisfied with the CDS program, agreeing that the instructions were easy to understand. Overall, 79% of parents indicated that it decreased overall stress/anxiety, with 75% saying it allowed for less time away from work, and 95% agreeing to pursue CDS again if offered. The most common negative feedback was an unspecified operative start time (15%). While faculty/staff members agreed the program was patient-centered, there were concerns over low enrollment and surgeon continuity, because there were different evaluating and operating surgeons.

CONCLUSION

This study successfully evaluated the satisfaction of patients and faculty/staff members after implementing a clinic-day surgery program. Our results demonstrated improved patient family satisfaction, with families reporting decreased anxiety and less time away from work. Despite this, faculty and staff members reported challenges with enrollment and surgeon continuity.

Ambulatory pediatric surgery

Ambulatory pediatric surgery has become increasingly common in recent years, with greater numbers of procedures being performed on an outpatient basis. This practice has clear benefits for hospitals and healthcare providers, but patients and families also often prefer outpatient surgery for a variety of reasons. However, maximizing the potential opportunities requires critical attention to patient and procedure selection, as well as anesthetic choice. A subset of outpatient procedures can be performed as single visit procedures, further simplifying the process for families and providers.

Guidelines on pediatric day surgery of the Italian Societies of Pediatric Surgery (SICP) and Pediatric Anesthesiology (SARNePI)

The Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery (SICP) together with The Italian Society of Pediatric Anesthesia (SARNePI) through a systematic analysis of the scientific literature, followed by a consensus conference held in Perugia on 2015, have produced some evidence based guidelines on the feasibility of day surgery in relation to different pediatric surgical procedures. The main aspects of the pre-operative assessment, appropriacy of operations and discharge are reported.

Single visit surgery for pediatric ambulatory surgical procedures: a satisfaction and cost analysis

BACKGROUND

Single visit surgery (SVS) consists of same-day pre-operative assessment and operation with telephone post-operative follow-up. This reduces family time commitment to 1 hospital trip rather than 2-3. We began SVS for ambulatory patients with clear surgical indications in 2013. We sought to determine family satisfaction, cost savings to families, and institutional financial feasibility of SVS.

METHODS

SVS patients were compared to age/case matched conventional surgery (CS) patients. Satisfaction was assessed by post-operative telephone survey. Family costs were calculated as the sum of lost revenue (based on median income) and transportation costs ($0.50/mile).

RESULTS

Satisfaction was high in both groups (98% for SVS vs. 93% for CS; p=0.27). 40% of CS families indicated that they would have preferred SVS, whereas no SVS families indicated preference for the CS option (p<0.001). Distance from the hospital did not correlate with satisfaction. Estimated cost savings for an SVS family was $188. Reimbursement, hospital and physician charges, and day-of-surgery cancellation rates were similar.

CONCLUSIONS

SVS provides substantial cost savings to families while maintaining patient satisfaction and equivalent institutional reimbursement. SVS is an effective approach to low-risk ambulatory surgical procedures that is less disruptive to families, facilitates access to pediatric surgical care, and reduces resource utilization.

TYPE OF STUDY

Cost Effectiveness Study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II.

Single hospital visit day case laparoscopic hernia repair without prior outpatient consultation is safe and acceptable to patients

BACKGROUND

For some common conditions, pre-operative clinic visits are often of little value to the patient or surgeon with transfer to the waiting list being predictable. In response to local patient feedback, we introduced a single hospital visit laparoscopic hernia surgery pathway with focus on informed consent, patient-reported outcomes and post-operative interaction with primary care services.

METHODS

A single hospital visit service for elective hernia repairs was created. Patients were not excluded on age, BMI or co-morbidity. Following referral, patients were telephoned by a surgeon. If considered appropriate, a symptom assessment tool, procedure information and consent form were sent. All patients were operated without attending clinic or pre-operative assessment. Surgeon-led telephone follow-up was made at either 2 or 7 days post-operatively and patient satisfaction assessed at 3 months.

RESULTS

A total of 517 patients were referred for single-stop surgery between 2012 and 2015. Median age was 58 (range 20-92), 91 % were male, and mean BMI was 25.6 (17.4-52.0). No patient refused the single-visit pathway. Single-stop patients had higher knowledge questionnaire scores (mean 16 vs. 10, p = 0.01) than patients who had attended clinic. Nine (1.7 %) were requested to attend clinic to confirm diagnosis, and three (0.8 %) were cancelled by their surgeon on the operative day. A total of 393 hernia repairs (331 TEP, 63 open) were performed under general anaesthetic. 92 % were discharged on day zero. Telephone follow-up day two rather than seven decreased attendance to primary care services (25 % vs. 57 %, p = 0.001). At 3 months, 95 % were satisfied and symptom scores were reduced (median 5-0, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Single-visit surgery appears to extend the patient benefits of laparoscopy by reducing hospital visits without compromising safety. Single hospital visit hernia surgery for unselected primary care referrals is possible and acceptable to patients.

Patient Satisfaction in Pediatric Surgical Care

Objective

This study seeks to synthesize evidence-based findings related to patient satisfaction as a process measure in pediatric surgical care.

Data Sources

PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Review Methods

We queried 4 standard search engines (1992-2013) for studies specific to pediatric surgical fields in which patient or parent satisfaction or experience of care was a primary outcome measure. Data were systematically analyzed to determine study characteristics, setting, parent or patient focus, measure of experience, and bias. Two independent investigators independently reviewed all articles.

Results

The initial search yielded 4748 publications (1503 duplicates), of which 170 underwent full-text review. Thirty-five were included for analysis; the majority (24/35,77%) were published in the last 5 years. Studies examined experience of the child (3/35), parent (23/35), or both (9/35). Experience and satisfaction were evaluated either by validated self-assessment instruments (8), by satisfaction tools (8), or by nonstandard institutional or author-developed tools (19). Experience was measured in the outpatient (7), preoperative (11), operative (14), and postoperative (3) care settings. Specific findings were unique to setting; however, in many studies higher satisfaction correlated with education/information giving, health care provider interpersonal behaviors, and facile/efficient care processes.

Conclusion

The patient experience of care is a valuable quality measure that is being more frequently evaluated as a mechanism to improve pediatric surgical care processes. Findings related to patient satisfaction and experience of care may be limited due to lack of measurement using validated tools. Findings from this review may bear significance as patient experience measures become routinely integrated with quality and reimbursement.

Single-incision pediatric endosurgical epigastric hernia repair

PURPOSE

Epigastric hernias represent about 4 % of all abdominal hernias in children and require surgical repair. Traditionally, these hernias are repaired by an open surgical technique. More recently, laparoscopic epigastric hernia repairs have been described using two trocars in the upper abdomen. In this paper, we describe a novel single-incision pediatric endosurgical (SIPES) technique.

METHODS

Patients with symptomatic epigastric hernias that were deemed to be too far superior to be repaired with an open technique through an umbilical incision were selected for SIPES repair. Two trocars (5 and 3 mm) were introduced through a single umbilical incision and the hernia repair was performed using looped 4-0 polypropylene sutures introduced through a 17-gage spinal needle in a lasso technique.

RESULTS

Five girls (age 4.4-12.6, median 6.4 years) underwent single-incision endosurgical epigastric hernia repair. The mean operative time was 25 ± 6 min, and there were no intraoperative complications. All patients were discharged home from the recovery room on the day of surgery. All patients were followed up 2-3 weeks after the operation, with no recurrence and excellent cosmetic results.

CONCLUSIONS

The described SIPES technique offers a virtually scarless, quick, and simple option for the repair of symptomatic epigastric hernias that can be performed with standard laparoscopic equipment.

One-stop endoscopic hernia surgery: efficient and satisfactory

BACKGROUND

One-stop surgery offers patients diagnostic work-up and subsequent surgical treatment on the same day. In the present study, patient satisfaction and efficiency from an institutional perspective were evaluated in patients who were referred for one-stop endoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

METHOD

In a high-volume inguinal hernia clinic, all consecutive patients referred for one-stop surgical treatment, were registered prospectively. An instructed secretary screened patients for eligibility for the one-stop option when the appointment was made. Totally extraperitoneal hernia repair under general anaesthesia was the preferred operative technique. Patient's satisfaction, successful day surgery and institutional efficiency were evaluated.

RESULTS

Between January 2010 and January 2012 a total of 349 patients (17 % of all patients in the hernia clinic) were referred for one-stop hernia repair. Mean age was 47.5 years and 96.3 % were males. Three hundred thirty-six patients underwent hernia surgery on the same day (96.3 %). In thirteen patients (3.7 %) no operative repair was done on the day of presentation due to an incorrect diagnosis (n = 7), a watchful waiting policy for asymptomatic hernia (n = 3), rescheduling due to a large scrotal hernia, and there were two "no shows". Following hernia repair 97 % of the patients were discharged on the same day, while ten patients required hospitalization. Based on the questionnaires the main satisfaction score among patients was 9.0 (8.89-9.17 95 % CI) on a scale ranging from 0 to 10.

CONCLUSION

One-stop hernia surgery is feasible and satisfactory from an institutional as well as from a patient's perspective.