Diffusion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Canada

Operative laparoscopy in The Netherlands: Diffusion and acceptance

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate and update the current status of the implementation of operative laparoscopy in gynaecology in The Netherlands by assessing diffusion and acceptance of each specific procedure per hospital.

STUDY DESIGN

In 2003 a questionnaire was sent to all hospitals (n = 102), which addressed the total number and type of laparoscopic procedures performed in 2002 stratified by level of difficulty (level 1: diagnostic laparoscopy, sterilization, tubal patency tests; level 2: adhesiolysis, ectopic pregnancy (EP), laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis, cystectomy, oophorectomy, LAVH, tubal surgery for infertility; level 3: myomectomy, total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and sacropexy). Data were compared to previously published data of 1994.

RESULTS

Response rate was 79% (81/102). Diffusion and acceptance of level 2 procedures increased significantly, except endometriosis and tubal surgery for infertility. Diffusion of LAVH was only 58%. Four percent of hysterectomies were LAVH. TLH and sacropexy were not performed. The diffusion of myomectomy increased significantly (p = 0.01), whereas its acceptance remained low.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the diffusion of operative procedures has increased over the last decade, acceptance is still limited, especially for laparoscopic hysterectomy. The implementation of operative gynaecological laparoscopy in The Netherlands seems to develop at a slow pace.

Laparoscopic surgery for common surgical emergencies: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Despite being controversial in the past, many reports on the safe use of laparoscopic surgery in emergency settings have been published. The aim of this study was to investigate the diffusion of laparoscopic surgery in three common surgical emergency operations, namely, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and simple repair of perforated peptic ulcer (PPU), in a stable population.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of the central database of the Hospital Authority (HA) in Hong Kong. Data for patients managed in 14 HA hospitals from 1998 to 2002 were studied. The operation record and discharge record of each patient were also investigated to verify the data.

RESULTS

A total of 12,708 patients underwent appendectomy, 2631 patients underwent cholecystectomy, and 2260 patients had simple repair of PPU performed. During the study period, 37.2% of appendectomies, 46.5% of cholecystectomies, and 23.1% of simple repairs of PPU were performed laparoscopically. More than a two-fold increase in the proportion of laparoscopic surgery was observed in each of these three operations. By the end of 2002, the percentage of laparoscopic surgery had increased to 53.5% for appendectomies, 61.3% for cholecystectomies, and 32.9% for simple repairs of PPU. Significantly lower hospital mortality rates and shorter postoperative hospital stay were consistenty observed in patients with laparoscopic surgery of the three emergencies. A wide variation in the use of laparoscopic surgery, ranging from 3.7% to 73.1%, was observed among the 14 HA hospitals. However, there was no correlation in the use of laparoscopic surgery with the volume of operation performed in each hospital (p = 0.933).

CONCLUSION

A high diffusion rate on the use of laparoscopic surgery for common surgical emergency was observed in Hong Kong. However, there was also a wide variation in the diffusion rate among the 14 HA hospitals. Efforts to reduce hospital variation for the better dissemination of safe laparoscopic technique may be warranted.

Using an Improvement Model to Reduce Adverse Drug Events in VA Facilities

BACKGROUND

Adverse drug events cause significant morbidity and mortality in health care. Many adverse drug events are due to medication errors and are preventable. In 1999 and 2000 the Patient Safety Center of Inquiry collaborated with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to implement a quality improvement (QI) project designed to reduce medication errors within the Veterans Administration system.

METHODS

During a 6- to 9-month period, interdisciplinary teams that want to achieve much higher levels of performance work on a common aim, under the guidance of faculty, and come together for three 2-day educational and planning sessions. Between these sessions, teams implement some of the suggested changes, measure the results of those changes, and report back to the larger group.

RESULTS

During the formal project, teams collected allergy information on more than 20,000 veterans and averted 1,833 medication errors that had the potential to cause adverse events. At 6-month follow-up, the majority of teams remained intact, continued to collect data, and maintained their gains, approximately doubling the results obtained during the formal project. Half of the teams expanded their efforts to other settings, and one-third of the teams expanded beyond their original topics. Returns on investment in the QI effort were substantial.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that gains made in organized QI efforts can be maintained for 6 months without additional external support or coaching if team structure and leadership support remain intact. Facilitators of QI efforts should focus on teams that are having difficulty learning new techniques. Finally, this effort appeared to generate cost savings.

Timing of adoption of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Denmark and in The Netherlands: a comparative study

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has diffused rapidly in most industrialised countries. The aim of this study has been to analyse the impact of different hospital characteristics on the hospital adoption of LC in Denmark and The Netherlands. Data on the timing of the adoption of LC and hospital characteristics (hospital size, teaching status and location) were retrieved in both countries. Proportional hazard regression was used to analyse different multivariate models. A total of 59 Danish and 109 Dutch hospitals adopting LC were identified. The multivariate analyses showed that increased hospital size was associated with relatively early adoption of LC in Denmark. Neither this nor other hospital characteristics influenced the timing of adoption in The Netherlands. As in other countries studied, hospital size is identified as an important factor in hospital adoption, whereas teaching status and location play a more limited role. The study shows that a multivariate method, such as the proportional hazard regression, can be used to elucidate differences among countries of the impact of different factors on the adoption of medium-ticket technologies like LC. Such multinational comparisons provide valuable information for health policy and planning.

Diffusion of laparoscopic technologies in Denmark

It has been predicted that minimally invasive therapy will have dramatic consequences for the specialty of general surgery, as demonstrated by the diffusion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. To investigate the determinants of the diffusion in Denmark of five laparoscopic technologies (cholecystectomy, appendicectomy, surgery for colon cancer, surgery for inguinal hernia and fundoplication), questionnaires on seventeen factors' influence on the adoption (stimulating or impeding) were sent to fifty-nine hospitals. Fifty hospitals (85%) responded. Overall, 98% adopted laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Denmark between 1991 and 1995, whereas the remainder of the technologies were adopted by 7-65% of hospitals performing these operations. Large and specialized hospitals were the earliest adopters. The factors, nature of technology (minimally invasive versus conventional), training (appropriate training courses), competition (between specialties and between hospitals) and media attention have stimulated the diffusion, whereas three budget factors (budget for investment, budget for operation and public regulation) usually had an impeding effect. Stimulating factors prevail for all laparoscopic technologies indicating that some guidance of the adoption and use of new health technologies might be necessary. In Denmark, one of the suggested health policies to secure timely guidance is the establishment of an early warning system.

Growing use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the national Veterans Affairs Surgical Risk Study: effects on volume, patient selection, and selected outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To study the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy to the 43 tertiary-care university-affiliated Veterans Administration medical centers (VAMCs) participating in the National Veterans Affairs Surgical Risk Study from October 1991 through December 1993.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Previous studies in the private sector have documented growth in the number of cholecystectomies and falling clinical thresholds for cholecystectomy with the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

METHODS

The following were analyzed for changes over time: measures of patient preoperative risk, complexity of surgery, severity of biliary disease, numbers of procedures, postoperative length of stay, and 30-day postoperative mortality and general complication rates.

RESULTS

The number of cholecystectomies performed laparoscopically increased, but the total number of cholecystectomies performed remained stable over time. The proportion of patients with acute cholecystitis, emergent cholecystectomies, and technically complex cholecystectomies did not change or increased slightly over time. Adjusted odds for postoperative general complications were lower for laparoscopic than for open cholecystectomy, but 30-day postoperative mortality and general complication rates for all cholecystectomies remained constant over time. Postoperative length of stay for all cholecystectomies fell significantly. Implementation rates of laparoscopic cholecystectomy varied widely between hospitals. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was adopted more slowly and used in a lower percentage of cholecystectomies than in non-VA settings.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to non-VA studies showing increases in overall cholecystectomy volume since the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, these VAMCs implemented laparoscopic cholecystectomy without growth in cholecystectomies or a change in the clinical threshold for cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was associated with better outcomes, but its introduction in the setting of stable cholecystectomy volume and biliary disease case mix did not change postoperative mortality and complication rates. The stable cholecystectomy volume and biliary disease case mix, slower adoption, and lower use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy contrast with previous reports and may result from differences in patients and organization and financing of VA versus non-VA settings.

Case study: assessing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The GVHS experience

This article describes the experience at the Greater Victoria Hospital Society of assessing the appropriateness of introducing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (lap chole) within the framework of an established technology assessment process. Lap chole promised to deliver cost savings; however, these could only be realized by capitalizing on the reduced length of stay by removing the surgical beds from service. A cautionary note is raised as to whether the increased use of lap chole in the population is appropriate.

Health care technology in Canada (with special reference to Quebec)

In Canada, all citizens are insured for health services. Health care is a provincial responsibility. The federal role is limited to health care financing, health protection including regulation of pharmaceuticals, and environmental health. The health care system represents a balance among government direction, consumer choice, and provider autonomy. Canada has largely controlled the costs of health care by funding and management mechanisms, the most important of which is the global budget formula used to fund hospitals. This paper discusses the Canadian health care system, with particular emphasis on the province of Quebec. In 1988, the provincial government of Quebec established the first Canadian body dedicated to technology assessment. Since then, a national coordinating office and several other provincial bodies have developed. The work of these and other evaluation efforts has had a growing influence on technology management decisions, particularly those dealing with procurement of capital-intensive technologies. Expanding this influence into the realm of technology use, especially for low-cost, high-volume technologies, remains a challenge.

The impact of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Canada and Australia

The introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Canada and Australia has been associated in each country with an increase in the rates of all cholecystectomies following a period where these had remained constant. Estimated costs of cholecystectomies to health programs declined by about 13% in Canada after the laparoscopic procedure became widely available, and about 2% in Australia. Days lost to patients because of surgery, and associated costs to them, decreased in each country. Neither country is realising the potential savings through use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of the increase in the number of procedures. The utility of these additional operations remains unclear. These trends associated with the advent of laparoscopic cholecystectomy suggest the need for caution in the introduction and application of other minimal-access surgery techniques.