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F.6 Quality improvement in neurosurgery: the dramatic impact of the spine assessment clinic in reducing post-op emergency department visits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2025

J Smith-Forrester
Affiliation:
(Halifax)*
M Rowicki
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
J Gillis
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
K Jones
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
J Freeman
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
M Mitchell
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
E MacLean
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
R Hollahan
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
L Hardy
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
C MacDonald
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
A Decker
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
S Barry
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
A Glennie
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
W Oxner
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
L Weise
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
S Christie
Affiliation:
(Halifax)
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Abstract

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Background: Our prior six-year review (n=2165) revealed 24% of patients undergoing posterior decompression surgeries (laminectomy or discectomy) sought emergency department (ED) care within three months post-surgery. We established an integrated Spine Assessment Clinic (SAC) to enhance patient outcomes and minimize unnecessary ED visits through pre-operative education, targeted QI interventions, and early post-operative follow-up. Methods: We reviewed 13 months of posterior decompression data (n=205) following SAC implementation. These patients received individualized, comprehensive pre-operative education and follow-up phone calls within 7 days post-surgery. ED visits within 90 days post-surgery were tracked using provincial databases and compared to our pre-SAC implementation data. Results: Out of 205 patients, 24 (11.6%) accounted for 34 ED visits within 90 days post-op, showing a significant reduction in ED visits from 24% to 11.6%, and decreased overall ED utilization from 42.1% to 16.6% (when accounting for multiple visits by the same patient). Early interventions including wound monitoring, outpatient bloodwork, and prescription adjustments for pain management, helped mitigate ED visits. Patient satisfaction surveys (n=62) indicated 92% were “highly satisfied” and 100% would recommend the SAC. Conclusions: The SAC reduced ED visits after posterior decompression surgery by over 50%, with pre-operative education, focused QI initiatives, and its individualized, proactive approach.

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Type
Abstracts
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation