Inadvertent returns to theatre within 30 days (IRT30) of surgery: An educational tool to monitor surgical complications and improve our performance as surgeons

Purpose – When a patient unexpectedly has to go back to the operating theatre, there is often a perceived problem with the primary operation. An IRT30 is defined as any patient returning to the operating theatre within 30 days of the index procedure. IRT30 has been suggested to be a useful quality indicator of surgical standards and surgeon performance. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the usefulness of this validated tool, by assessing all IRT30 over a 12-month period. Learning points for individual surgeons, surgical subspecialty units and the clinical governance leads were reviewed. Design/methodology/approach – Consecutive series of general and vascular surgical patients undergoing elective and emergency procedures between July 2012 and 2013. Prospective data collection of all IRT30s classified as Types 1-5 by a single-rater and in-depth discussion of Types 3-5 cases at the clinical governance meetings. The individual case learning points were recorded and the collective data monitored monthly...