Abstract
Canceling elective surgical procedures is quite common throughout Ethiopia. Despite this, there is limited evidence about the time to elective surgery after cancellation in the country. Thus, the current study aimed to determine the time to elective surgery and its predictors after the first cancellation. An institution-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted on 386 study participants at Debre Markos Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, between September 1, 2017, and August 31, 2022. Utilizing a checklist, data were retrieved. To choose study participants, systematic random sampling was employed. Epi-Data version 3.1 and STATA version 14.1 were utilized. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were employed. The Cox proportional hazard model was fitted. The mean age of the participants was 41.01 + 18.61 years. Females made up 51% of the patients. The majority were illiterate (72.3%) and resided in rural areas (70.5%). Surgery following the first cancellation had a cumulative incidence of 83.6% (95% CI: 79.6, 87.05) and an incidence rate of 32.3 per 1,000 person-days (95% CI: 29.3, 35.5). The median survival time to surgery was 25 (IQR: 17-40) days. Urban residence (AHR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.26-1.96), being a member of health insurance schemes (AHR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.24-1.96), stable other medical conditions (AHR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.13-1.79), and timely completion of diagnostic tests (AHR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.29-2.04) were significant predictors of time to surgery after first cancellation. Our study revealed that the time to surgery after the first cancellation was in the globally acceptable range and met the national target. Clinicians should focus on timely completion of diagnostic or laboratory tests, facilitating health insurance coverage, and comprehensive assessment and treatment of any coexisting medical conditions. It is urged to stratify each department's time for surgery, taking into consideration of important variables.