B.C. surgery delays can be fatal for children: study
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Posted May 15, 2023 12:03 pm.
Last Updated May 15, 2023 12:06 pm.
A new study done by the BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia shows that children in the province who experience delays in surgical care are at a greater risk of death.
The study, which looked at 384 cases involving newborns to those 18 years of age found that 47 per cent of those cases were delayed, resulting in 28 deaths.
“In our study, an unacceptable proportion of infants and children who were in a surgical crisis and at immediate risk for loss of a limb or organ, or death did not receive timely surgical care,” the study noted.
” At the federal and provincial levels, action must be taken to prioritize, be accountable to and advocate for emergency surgery patients. Our most vulnerable surgical patients are at great risk of experiencing barriers to surgical access; without commitment, measurement, and accountability at all levels of health care, unintended harm will continue.”
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The study looked at Class 1 cases — those who needed surgery within 60 minutes — who were delayed to receive surgery over the hour time frame.
Just over 24 per cent of the cases studied also resulted in a “major morbidity.”
“Children who require emergency surgery need their care prioritized by not only operating room teams but also hospitals and government; otherwise, they will continue to experience unintended consequences.
“The primary objective of the Canada Health Act is ‘to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.’ Ensuring timely access to emergent surgical intervention has been recognized as a priority worldwide, with several countries implementing systems to collect data, benchmark and improve outcomes in this high-risk patient population.”
The study comes as the province signed an agreement with the federal government to receive $27.47 billion in healthcare funding from the federal government over the next 10 years.
Announced at the beginning of March, the funding will make a difference in the “acute situation” in B.C.’s hospitals, especially in rural communities, Premier David Eby said on March 1.
The money for B.C. includes an immediate $273 million to address urgent needs, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and to address long wait times for surgeries.
-With files from Jasper Chu and The Canadian Press