Clinical Indicators

The rate of unplanned readmissions provides an indication of the effectiveness of our planning processes, for when people are discharged from hospital.

The graph below shows the number of patients that were re-admitted to Wollongong Day Surgery within 28 days of discharge from hospital, with a diagnosis related to the same condition as the original admission. Wollongong Day Surgery's rate is lower (better) than the industry average.

Day surgery is generally associated with minor procedures with the intention of being discharged on the same day. On occasion patients may require a transfer to a general hospital and/or overnight admission for specialised care which may be due to complications, patients’ pre-existing diseases or conditions and the nature of the disease or condition being treated.

Wollongong Day Surgery 's rate is lower (better) than the industry average.

Wollongong Day Surgery 's doctors undertake surgery in many specialty areas, which range from minor procedures to more complex day surgery requiring specialised treatment. We monitor our patient outcomes by comparing any unplanned returns to the operating theatre during the same day as the initial procedure to other Australian hospitals nationally. The aim is to reduce returns to the operating theatre where possible; however there are many factors which influence this, and in some cases it is necessary to have further surgery to save a life.

Unplanned returns to the operating theatre during the same day are frequently due to complications, for example to treat bleeding or other problems occurring early after the operation. Some complications following surgery are to be expected due to patients’ pre-existing diseases or conditions and the nature of the disease or condition being treated. Unplanned returns to the operating theatre are reported and clinical outcomes analysed. Recommendations are actioned and monitored to ensure improvements are made where possible.

The graph below shows the number of patients who had a surgical procedure or operation and required an unplanned return for further surgery during the same day as the initial procedure. Wollongong Day Surgery 's rate is lower (better) than the industry average.

Medication errors include any errors in the dispensing and administration of medication that require a medical intervention. Wollongong Day Surgery 's Medication Error rate is slightly higher than the industry average.

Wollongong Day Surgery has several medication safety initiatives, including the adoption of the National In-Patient Medication Charts endorsed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), and implementing a standardised patient labelling system when administering injectable medicines and implementing key strategies to manage high risk medications. Medication incident rates and outcomes are monitored across our hospital and used to determine if our initiatives are reducing the error rate and level of patient harm.

A fall in a hospital is when a patient suddenly and unintentionally falls to the ground. This can happen in a hospital setting for a number of reasons, such as a change in medication, the after effects of an anaesthetic, or just because the surroundings are unfamiliar. Falls can injure patients and affect their recovery and independence.

This graph below shows the number of patients that sustain a fall that caused an injury as a percentage of total patient bed-days (the number of days that all patients spend in hospital). Wollongong Day Surgery achieves a lower rate (better) than the industry average.

We achieve a lower rate through our established Falls Prevention and Management Program and an electronic Incident/Risk Management and Reporting System. A variety of best practice tools and prevention intervention guidelines are utilised to identify those patients/consumers at high risk of having a fall.

Hand hygiene (or hand washing) is one of the best ways to stop infections so, as a priority, we educate and train all caregivers in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) “five moments” for hand hygiene. We also audit our staff and provide our results to the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) to compare us against other hospitals.

Wollongong Day Surgery ranks higher than national targets for hand hygiene. Our auditors complete compliance audits on a regular basis and submit data three times a year. We also participate in the national hand hygiene strategy to continually improve our rates.