Reducing Surgery Cancellations at a Pediatric Ambulatory Surgery Center

Surgery cancellations are costly and can be frustrating for patients, their families, and the surgical team. Because of the inherent nature of an ambulatory surgery center, which only performs scheduled elective procedures, surgical cancellations typically result in wasted time and resources. Pediatric surgery cancellations can be mitigated with proper preoperative screening and communication between nurses and patients' guardians. To reduce the rate of cancellation at our pediatric ambulatory surgery center, we implemented a Nurse-Patient Preoperative Call Log. Preoperative nurses called patients or their guardians on two separate occasions during the two weeks before surgery to review health history and instructions and answer questions about the upcoming surgery. Three months after implementing the call log, surgery cancellation rates significantly decreased from 16.8% to 8.8% (P < .05). Nurses used the call log for all patients, with 85.6% of patients receiving two calls in the two weeks before their surgery.