Validating Patient Prioritization for Surgery
Author Information
Author(s): Allepuz Alejandro, Espallargues Mireia, Moharra Montse, Comas Mercè, Pons Joan MV
Primary Institution: Catalan Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Research
Hypothesis
The study aims to assess the validity and reliability of prioritization instruments for patients awaiting hip and knee arthroplasties and cataract surgery.
Conclusion
The results show acceptable validity and reliability of the prioritization instruments in establishing priority for surgery.
Supporting Evidence
- The study included 944 patients for hip and knee arthroplasties and 1,674 for cataract surgery.
- Strong correlations were found between the prioritization instruments and doctors' opinions on surgical priority.
- Inter-observer reliability was acceptable with an ICC of 0.79 for both instruments.
Takeaway
This study created tools to help doctors decide who should get surgery first based on how much they need it.
Methodology
A multicentre validation study involving orthopaedic surgeons and ophthalmologists from 10 hospitals, using visual analogue scales and prioritization instruments.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to doctors both assessing priority and administering the prioritization instrument.
Limitations
The study used different sources of information for validation and the time elapsed between patient recruitment and interviews may have affected results.
Participant Demographics
{"hip_knee_arthroplasties":{"number_of_patients":944,"average_age":69.3,"sex_distribution":{"women_percentage":72.8}},"cataract_surgery":{"number_of_patients":1674,"average_age":72.9,"sex_distribution":{"women_percentage":58.1}}}
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
{"AI":"0.59–0.68","CI":"0.62–0.69"}
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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