Surgical Cancellations: A Review of Elective Surgery Cancellations in a Tertiary Care Pediatric Institution

The purpose of this two-phase quality improvement audit was to analyze elective surgery cancellations in a tertiary pediatric care institution and identify and recommend nursing practice changes in the preoperative assessment clinic (POAC) to potentially influence the overall cancellation rate. A prospective review of cancellation data was conducted over a 6-month period in 2008 and again in 2010. In both phases of the audit, illness was the leading cause for surgical cancellation between the preoperative assessment and the day of surgery, with otolaryngology service representing the highest number of cancellations. Cancellations at or between the preoperative assessment and the day of surgery may be viewed as POAC successes that may have otherwise increased the day-of-surgery cancellation rate. Educating families on the prevention of illness in the perianesthesia period may be a critical nursing role in the prevention of surgical cancellations.