High volume short stay (HVSS) surgery is planned surgery or procedures which require patients to be admitted for up to 72 hours. This includes same day and extended day only cases.
The admission model aims to concentrate suitable planned surgical cases in dedicated surgical units. Over 80% of the planned surgery undertaken in NSW public hospitals is within the 72-hour timeframe.
The threshold for what constitutes high volume surgery can vary depending on the procedure and healthcare system. Generally ‘high volume’ refers to procedures which a particular surgeon or surgical team within a hospital perform frequently. The surgical team performing high volumes have increased experience and expertise with the procedure. This leads to better patient outcomes.
Benefits
The HVSS surgical model:
- improves access to planned surgery through reduced average length of stay and theatre turnover time
- enhances efficiency of theatres and bed use
- reduces unwarranted variation in care and decreases unplanned readmissions.
Patients report improved satisfaction post-operatively with HVSS models compared to traditional surgical service models. There are positive effects on patient flow through improved bed availability.
Alignment with same day surgery admission model
The Same Day Surgery Admission Model and HVSS surgery model share many key elements, including:
- designated resourcing to support the model, including staff, theatres and beds
- definition of procedures suitable for the model
- standardised screening of recommendation for admission (RFA) and pre-admission processes
- defined protocols guiding patient care pathways, including admission, recovery and post-discharge management.
Method
The High Volume Short Stay Surgical Model Toolkit was first published in 2012 by the NSW Ministry of Health. It was later updated by the Agency for Clinical Innovation.
Evidence drawn from a literature search in March 2022, informed the revision of the toolkit. The purpose of the evidence check was to assess the feasibility of surgical specialty centres. New publications were captured through an updated literature search in February 2024, using the same search terms and parameters.
High volume short stay: Evidence check (PDF 407.8 KB)
Working group
A working group consisting of members of the Surgical Care Network and Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care Network from a range of local health districts in NSW, participated in developing this resource. Members contributed firsthand clinical expertise and managerial experience in surgical service delivery.
References
- Agency for Clinical Innovation. Same day surgery admission model. Sydney: ACI; 2024 [cited 2 Sep 2024].
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