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Physician turnover and its association with mortality after non-cardiac surgery: a retrospective cohort analysis of patients in South Korea

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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the association between physician turnover, mortality, and length of hospital stay after non-cardiac surgery in South Korea.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study is based on analysis of the medical records of patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery between January, 2010 and December, 2016. The primary outcomes were the differences in 30-day, 90-day, and overall mortality between non-cardiac surgery performed during the turnover period and that performed during the non-turnover period.

Results

The subjects of the analysis were 106,832 patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery. Among them, 17,788 patients underwent surgery during the turnover period and 89,044 underwent surgery during the non-turnover period. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed no significant differences in postoperative 30-day mortality (P = 0.427), 90-day mortality (P = 0.854), or overall mortality (P = 0.928) between surgery conducted during the turnover period and that conducted during the non-turnover period. Surgery performed during the physician turnover period was associated with a 0.21-day increase compared with surgery performed during the non-turnover period (coefficient: 0.21, 95% confidence interval: 0.00–0.42, P = 0.038).

Conclusions

Physician turnover was not associated with postoperative 30-day, 90-day, or overall mortality after non-cardiac surgery. However, the length of hospital stay was slightly longer for patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery in the turnover period.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, South Korea

    Tak Kyu Oh, Jung-Won Hwang, Sang-Hwan Do & Young-Tae Jeon

  2. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, South Korea

    Jung-Won Hwang, Sang-Hwan Do & Young-Tae Jeon

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  1. Tak Kyu Oh
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  2. Jung-Won Hwang
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Correspondence to Young-Tae Jeon.

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Oh, T., Hwang, JW., Do, SH. et al. Physician turnover and its association with mortality after non-cardiac surgery: a retrospective cohort analysis of patients in South Korea. Surg Today 49, 387–393 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-018-1749-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-018-1749-1

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