Factors influencing interhospital transfer delays in emergency general surgery: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

• Published in: ANZ journal of surgery Vol. 92; no. 6; pp. 1314 - 1321
• Main Authors: Young, Edward, Khoo, Teng‐Wei, Trochsler, Markus Ivo, Maddern, Guy John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01.06.2022; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Emergency medical services; general surgery; Health care; interhospital transfer; Morbidity; Narratives; Patients; Public health; Rural areas; Statistical analysis; Surgery; Synthesis; systematic review; general surgery; systematic review; interhospital transfer
• DOI: 10.1111/ans.17718
• ISSN: 1445-1433

Background Emergency general surgery is an emerging public health issue globally, with substantial healthcare burden. Interhospital transfer of critically unwell surgical patients has been the mainstay of bridging gaps in surgical coverage in regional and rural locations, despite evidence of greater morbidity and mortality. Delays in transfer invariably occurs and compounds the situation. Our aim was to examine the factors influencing interhospital transfer delays in emergency general surgical patients. Methods A systematic search of PubMED and EmBase, was performed by two researchers from 2020 to 23rd Feb 2021, for English articles related to interhospital transfer delays in emergency general surgical patients, with an age of >16. Articles were critically appraised and data were extracted into a pre‐specified data extraction form. No data was suitable for statistical analysis and a narrative synthesis was performed instead. Results Six relevant articles were identified from the search. All studies were retrospective cohort studies with moderate to high risk of bias. Lack of consultant surgeon input, after hours transfer, need for intensive care bed and poor transfer documentation may have a role in interhospital transfer delays. Patients with public health insurance, multiple comorbidities and non‐emergency medical conditions experience longer transfer request time and may be at risk of precipitating interhospital transfer delays. Transfer delays are seen in transfers over longer distances. Conclusion There is a paucity of knowledge on what and how factors influence interhospital transfer delays in emergency general surgical patients. Well‐designed prospective cohort studies are required to bridge this knowledge gap. Gaps in emergency surgical coverage in regional and rural locations are managed with interhospital transfers, despite inferior outcomes. A systematic review of the contemporary literature was performed and identified a paucity of knowledge on factors influencing interhospital transfer delays. More robust prospective cohort studies were recommended.