Discharge Readiness after Robotic and Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

Study Objective: To evaluate which factors may be predictive of patient readiness of discharge after robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy. Design: A prospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Setting: A single tertiary care center in the United States. Patients: All 230 patients undergoing robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy between November 2015 and April 2017. Interventions: The primary outcome measure was whether or not the patient felt ready for discharge when she was sent home, and this was assessed using a survey 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the number of postoperative phone calls, 30-day readmission, and also whether the patient felt knowledgeable about postoperative symptoms and restrictions (both assessed via a 4- to 6-week survey). Associations of baseline, operative, and postoperative characteristics with outcomes were evaluated using regression models appropriate for the nature of the given outcome measure. Measurements and Main Results: Of the 230 patients, 207 (90%) reported they felt ready for discharge on the postoperative survey. The majority of patients strongly agreed that they felt knowledgeable about what symptoms to expect postoperatively (60%) and about postoperative restrictions (71%). The median number of postoperative phone calls was 1 (range, 0–11), with 104 patients (45%) having more than 1 postoperative call. The only factor that was significantly associated with a lack of readiness for discharge was a longer total operating room time (p = .011). Factors associated with more postoperative phone calls were a urogynecologic indication (p = .005), a cancer indication (p = .024), a longer total operative room time (p = .014), a postoperative complication (p <.001), and not seeing a patient education video (p = .018). Knowledge of postoperative restrictions was significantly worse for older patients (p = .004) and varied significantly according to surgeon (p = .038). No significant predictors of knowledge of postoperative symptoms were identified. Conclusions: Discharge readiness and knowledge of postoperative restrictions and symptoms were high in patients who underwent laparoscopic and robotic hysterectomies. The risk factors for outcomes that were identified highlight groups of patients who can be targeted for preemptive interventions both preoperatively and postoperatively.