Background: Unplanned return to theatre (URTT) is a common performance indicator in surgery. The aim of this study is to determine the accuracy of recording URTT in orthopaedic surgery, and whether it is improved when recorded by the operating surgeon.
Methods: All orthopaedic URTT at St. George Hospital (Kogarah, Australia), as recorded by nursing staff, from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 were reviewed. The results were compared to a similar review for the period from 1 June 2002 to 31 May 2003, when data was entered by the operating surgeon.
Results: In 2001, the true URTT rate was 68 out of a total of 2250 cases. Only 39 of these were recorded as URTT (sensitivity = 57%). Of the 2182 remaining cases, 34 were incorrectly reported as URTT (specificity = 98.4%). In the period June 2002-May 2003, the true URTT rate was 25 out of 2119 cases. Of these, 22 were correctly recorded (sensitivity = 88%). Of the 2094 remaining cases, 16 were incorrectly recorded as URTT (specificity = 99.2%). The differences in sensitivity and specificity between the two periods were statistically significant.
Conclusions: Unplanned return to theatre cases need to be reviewed individually to assess clinical significance. Mandatory surgeon reporting significantly increases the accuracy of data.