Common Factors of Surgical Delays in the Surgical Environment at a Federal Teaching Hospital in the Southwestern Nigeria

Surgery is a cost-effective and core component of universal health coverage. Surgical delay is considered to be one of the most upsetting problems affecting patient satisfaction, and it is considered an important challenging issue at most public hospitals as the length of time a patient has to wait after being booked in and registered on the waiting list until the surgery is finally done. The study was a descriptive survey using the quantitative method conducted on Surgical Delays and Associated Factors on Surgical Outcomes among Surgical Teams at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ife Hospital Unit, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Questionnaires and observation checklists were designed as tools to collect the data about surgical delays and associated factors among surgical teams. A total of two hundred and seventy (270) questionnaires were distributed and administered. The data collected were filled and entered into the computer using freeware data entry and validation program known as Epidata 3.0. The finding revealed that the common factors affecting surgical delays among surgical teams include communication gap [Relative Importance Index (RII) = 0.55], clinical instability of the patient (RII = 0.53), non-availability of an operating space (RII = 0.52), and infrastructure problems (RII = 0.52). Communication gap between the surgical team members is the common factor that leads to surgical delays in the health facility. Establishment of perioperative guidelines and protocols as well as review and reinforcement of existing ones are needed to eliminate the attitudinal and systemic causes of surgical delays.