None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
To date, a total of sixteen Australian public hospitals have published their uptake of the Acute Surgical Unit (ASU) model, while another two have documented successful persistence with Traditional models. However, for the great majority of public hospitals in Australia, the emergency general surgery (EGS) model in use remains unknown. In 2010, General Surgery Australia’s ‘12 Point Plan for Emergency General Surgery’ recommended separation of emergency and elective activity. However, these were non-binding recommendations and explicitly expected variation in EGS models. Departments remain free to choose their preferred system and no national registry or automated reporting of structure exists. This lack of information regarding EGS models in the large majority of Australian hospitals is problematic. A national survey could be used to guide other hospitals considering commencing an ASU, or by health bodies to inform future policy. We aimed therefore to survey the structure of EGS care of adults in all Australian medium to major public hospitals, with particular regard to the chronological and geographical spread of EGS models, the impact of trauma care and other variables on choice of EGS model, reasons for or against commencing an ASU model, staff satisfaction, registrar operative exposure and safe working hours.
Interventions
This is an observational study of the model of care used by general surgical departments for the care of emergency aka non-elective patients. The exposure assessed will be the type of emergency general surgery model in place at each hospital.
Acute Surgical Units were defined as those with a surgeon dedicated solely to EGS patients for greater than 50% of business hours. A Hybrid model lacked such surgeon allocation, but provided a registrar rostered solely to EGS patients for greater than 50% o
This is an observational study of the model of care used by general surgical departments for the care of emergency aka non-elective patients. The exposure assessed will be the type of emergency general surgery model in place at each hospital. Acute Surgical Units were defined as those with a surgeon dedicated solely to EGS patients for greater than 50% of business hours. A Hybrid model lacked such surgeon allocation, but provided a registrar rostered solely to EGS patients for greater than 50% of business hours, or two or more half-day protected EGS theatre lists per week. Hospitals with a Traditional model had none of these features. Data will be gained by staff questionnaires. Emergency departments are not part of this study.
Sponsors
Dr Ned Kinnear
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Eligible centres were Australian public hospitals offering elective general surgery, medium (>2,000 patient separations per-annum) or greater peer group, who offered an emergency general surgery service.
Exclusion criteria
Centres were excluded if they were located outside Australia, private hospitals, did not offer both elective and emergency general surgery services or declined to participate.
Outcome results
None listed