Shortening patient waiting time, National Health Commission: gradually expanding the scope of daytime surgery
The National Health Commission recently released the Action Plan for Improving Surgical Quality and Safety, proposing specific measures in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative risk management and continuous system improvement. The committee will promote the transition from elective inpatient surgery to daytime surgery, reducing patient waiting time for surgery. By the end of 2025, the incidence of negative events among hospitalized patients will further decrease.
The plan requires that by the end of 2025, the incidence of negative events such as perioperative mortality, surgical complications, and anesthesia complications among hospitalized patients in China will further decrease. The rate of unplanned return to the operating room for reoperation will not exceed 1.8 ‰, and the incidence of postoperative acquired indicators among hospitalized patients will not exceed 7.5 ‰. The incidence of hypothermia during surgical anesthesia and the use of antibiotics for Class I incision surgery will further decrease. The proportion of day surgery to elective surgery will further increase, and the multidisciplinary discussion system before the fourth level surgery will be fully implemented.
The National Health Commission will promote medical institutions to use information technology to monitor the use of operating rooms in real time, adjust the scheduling of operating rooms in a timely and dynamic manner, improve the rationality of operating room resource allocation, and shorten patient waiting time for surgery; At the same time, we will promote the transition from elective inpatient surgery to daytime surgery, and establish a daytime surgery organization and management structure, work system, and mechanism that is in line with the actual situation of our institution, in accordance with the requirements of the Interim Regulations on Daytime Medical Quality Management of Medical Institutions, gradually expanding the scope of daytime surgery services.
The National Health Commission stated that medical institutions should strengthen the verification of surgical personnel and procedures to avoid discrepancies between planned and actual surgeons, and ensure that the main surgeon and anesthesiologist are present throughout the surgical process. At the same time, the surgical safety verification system shall be strictly implemented. According to the Surgical Safety Verification Form, before anesthesia is implemented, surgery begins, and patients leave the operating room, the anesthesiologist shall take the lead in verbally verifying the relevant content item by item, to prevent errors in the surgical site, loss of surgical materials, improper placement of implants, and omission of surgical steps.
Medical institutions should further standardize the transportation and handover of surgical patients, establish a handover list, and strictly prohibit the transfer of patients after third and fourth level surgeries and general anesthesia surgeries to third-party personnel alone. Patients undergoing Level 4 surgery should be accompanied throughout the first postoperative transportation process by the participating physician; During the transfer and handover, face-to-face handover with the receiving physician and relevant medical personnel should be carried out to ensure the safety of the transfer and the accurate transmission of relevant information.
Medical institutions should inform patients in writing of discharge orders, post discharge precautions, and provide contact information before discharge. Determine the follow-up time, frequency, content, and form according to the characteristics of the disease and relevant diagnostic and treatment standards. For patients undergoing Level 4 surgery, the principle is to follow up no less than once a year; For patients undergoing daytime surgery, the first follow-up should be completed within 24 hours after discharge; The relevant follow-up information should be included in the medical records or separately filed and saved.