Role of patient-centred outcomes after hospital discharge: a state-of-the-art review

K S Ladha; D N Wijeysundera

doi:10.1111/anae.14903

Role of patient-centred outcomes after hospital discharge: a state-of-the-art review

Anaesthesia. 2020 Jan:75 Suppl 1:e151-e157. doi: 10.1111/anae.14903.

Authors

K S Ladha^{1

2}, D N Wijeysundera^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesia, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Department of Anesthesia and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

PMID: 31903568
DOI: 10.1111/anae.14903

Abstract

The traditional approach for measuring outcomes after surgery involves ascertaining whether a patient survived surgery while avoiding major complications. This approach does not capture the full spectrum of events that are meaningful to patients, especially because mortality risks after elective surgery are relatively low, and different complication types vary considerably with respect to their impact on postoperative recovery. This review discusses the application, advantages, disadvantages and select examples of patient-centred outcomes in peri-operative medicine. When applied appropriately, these outcomes complement traditional clinical outcomes, identify important changes in postoperative function that impact patients without discernible complications and ensure that the definition of success after surgery is more meaningful to all relevant stakeholders.

Keywords: patient-centred outcomes; postoperative complications; postoperative recovery; surgery.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Patient Discharge*
Patient Outcome Assessment*
Postoperative Complications / epidemiology*