Case cancellations and associated factors on the day of surgery in hospitals of Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia

Abstract Background Cancellations of elective surgery cases are frequent and have significant negative consequences. It causes wasting of valuable resources, patient unhappiness, and psychological stress of patients. Despite this, little is known about the case cancellation and associated factors on the day of surgery in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. Objective This study aimed to assess the magnitude of case cancellation and associated factors on the day of surgery in hospitals in Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia, from May 17 to June 17, 2023. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 322 patients was conducted at Wolaita Sodo Zone, South Ethiopia. All elective surgical cases scheduled during the study period were included. The entire number of participants was selected using a systematic random sampling process. Epidata V.3 was used to enter data, and SPSS V.25 was used to analyze it. Binary logistic regression was used to check for a possible association. P-values < 0.05 and 95% CI were used on multi-variable analysis as the threshold for the significant statistical association. Result A total of 313 study participants were scheduled for elective surgical procedures during the study period and gave a response rate of 97.2%. The mean (± SD) age of the study participants was 39.18 (± 10.64) years. The two-third of patients, 53(64%) were rural residents, and more than half (178, or 55.3%) of the participants were female. This finding showed that the case cancellation was 22.4% (95% CI: 19.3 -25.9%). Among the total canceled cases, 49(58.3%) were males. Variables like rural residence (AOR = 3.48 95% CI: 1.22–9.95), Lack of lab result (AOR = 2.33, 95%CI:1.20–4.51), ophthalmology dept. (AOR = 2.53 95% CI:1.52–4.49), HTN (AOR = 2.53, 95% CI:1.52–4.49), patient refusal (AOR = 3.01 95% CI:1.22–5.05), and age b/n 31 and 43 (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI:1.02–2.01) were significantly associated factors with cancellation of elective surgical cases. Conclusion In this study schedule of case cancellation was high. The contributing factors of case cancellation were rural residence, Lack of lab results, ophthalmology dept, HTN, patient refusal, and age. To decrease unnecessary cancellations and increase cost efficiency, hospital administration and medical staff must plan ahead carefully, communicate effectively, and make efficient use of hospital resources.