Reducing Elective Surgery Backlogs Through Centralized Waiting List Management: A Quality Improvement Study.
Introduction: Growing elective surgical waiting lists remain a persistent global challenge, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the widespread suspension of non-urgent procedures. In the Gulf region, elective surgery cancellation rates reached up to 72% by 2020, compounding surgical b...
| Published in: | Inquiry (00469580) Vol. 63; pp. 1 - 2 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Sage Publications Inc.
5/5/2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=193525786&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 193525786 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00469580 INQ jtl: Inquiry (00469580) issn: 00469580 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: 5/5/2026 vid: 63 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. artinfo: ui: 193525786 10.1177/00469580261449124 ppf: 1 ppct: 1 formats: tig: atl: Reducing Elective Surgery Backlogs Through Centralized Waiting List Management: A Quality Improvement Study. aug: au: Daoud, Rabbani Mahmoud Alhoda, Moosa Jasim, Zainab Fredericks, Salim Kause, Juliane affil: Department of Internal Medicine, Hull University Teaching Hospital, Hull, UK Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK Department of Internal Medicine, Mass General Brigham Salem Hospital, Massachusetts, USA Department of Simulation, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Muharraq, Bahrain Department of Internal Medicine, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain Department of Biochemistry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Muharraq, Bahrain CEO Advisor of Government Hospitals in Bahrain, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain Department of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Muharraq, Bahrain su: Medical care use Public hospitals Urology Health services accessibility Health services administration Data analysis T-test (Statistics) Medical quality control Sex distribution Medical care Retrospective studies Tertiary care Descriptive statistics Age distribution Endoscopic surgery Pre-tests & post-tests Ophthalmology Orthopedics Workflow Elective surgery Medical appointments Medical records Acquisition of data Patient-professional relations Electronic health records Communication Quality assurance Automation Data analysis software COVID-19 pandemic Medical referrals Nonparametric statistics Endoscopy Bahrain sug: subj: Bahrain Medical care use Public hospitals Urology Health services accessibility Health services administration Data analysis T-test (Statistics) Medical quality control Sex distribution Medical care Retrospective studies Tertiary care Descriptive statistics Age distribution Endoscopic surgery Pre-tests & post-tests Ophthalmology Orthopedics Workflow Elective surgery Medical appointments Medical records Acquisition of data Patient-professional relations Electronic health records Communication Quality assurance Automation Data analysis software COVID-19 pandemic Medical referrals Nonparametric statistics Endoscopy keyword: COVID-19 elective surgery backlog electronic patient record healthcare quality assurance operating rooms quality improvement surgical waiting time time to treatment waiting lists ab: Introduction: Growing elective surgical waiting lists remain a persistent global challenge, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the widespread suspension of non-urgent procedures. In the Gulf region, elective surgery cancellation rates reached up to 72% by 2020, compounding surgical backlogs. At Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain's largest public tertiary hospital, the resulting backlog overwhelmed existing systems that relied on fragmented spreadsheets and manual logs. This Quality Improvement Project (QIP) aimed to improve surgical waiting list management using a centralized, data-driven approach to reduce backlog, improve scheduling, and enhance theatre utilization. Methods: This retrospective pre-post QIP included all adult patients (≥18 years) listed for elective, non-cancer surgery across secondary and tertiary surgical specialties between January 2019 and December 2023. Interventions, implemented from January to August 2024, included: (1) consolidating all waiting list data into a single computerized system; (2) validating and updating entries through direct patient contact; and (3) integrating a centralized repository within the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system. This enabled real-time tracking, automated prioritization, and flexible scheduling. The primary outcome was waiting list volume. Secondary outcomes were mean waiting time to surgery and theatre utilization. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were applied to assess the significance of any differences observed with a significance of p<0.05. Results: From January to August 2024, the surgical waiting list decreased by 51.74%, from 9,597 to 4,627 patients. Major reductions (relative to the baseline waiting list) were observed in Ophthalmology (69.40%), Urology (59.23%), and Orthopedics (58.59%). Mean waiting times (SD) decreased from 12.7 (7.72) to 7.2 (4.75) months (p = 0.014), corresponding to a 158-day reduction. Mean monthly caseload in the main operating theatres (MOT) increased from 1,469 (139.3) cases in 2023 to 1,608 (94.4) in 2024 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: A centralized, EPR-integrated surgical waiting list system significantly reduced surgical backlogs and delays, while improving coordination, prioritization, and theatre utilization. Differences in outcomes across departments reflect varying case complexities and highlight the need for tailored strategies. This scalable model supports more efficient post-pandemic recovery and long-term service resilience. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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