EVALUATING EMERGENCY GENERAL SURGERYINTERHOSPITALTRANSFERS:IDENTIFYINGBARRIERSANDDEVELOPING A STANDARDIZED TRANSFER ALGORITHM

Abstract

The number of Emergency General Surgery (EGS) transfers has also risen tremendously in the developed countries, posing clinical, logistical, and financial problems to patients and health care systems. This is a prospective study that rated interhospital transfer to tertiary referral centers to establish the underlying reasons and suggest uniform transfer parameters. Hospital constraints, discomfort of the surgeons with complicated operations, and lack of surgical cover and not clinical necessity were found to be the major reasons behind the majority of transfers. More than half of the transferred patients did not need operative treatment, which indicates that a better pretransfer evaluation would help to avoid unnecessary movements. There was no communication between the surgeons which increased inefficiencies and time delays in the care. The research suggests a system of EGS transfer involving communication protocols, risk assessment using APACHE II, and telemedicine support as the best way to optimize the process of patient selection and resource distribution. A standardized practice of EGS transfer would have an immense effect on reducing healthcare expenses and enhancing patient outcome and communication between hospitals.