[AVBC 2025] Discharging Spontaneous Pneumothorax Patients on Postoperative Day 2
Care Process & Redesign
Appropriate & Value-based Care Conference
National Healthcare Group
6 November 2025
To reduce the average number of hours of stay on the day of discharge at the inpatient ward for TTSHs post-op primary. The intervention successfully reduced the average hours of stay and increased the percentage of patients discharged on POD2.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 06 November 2025
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Workflow Redesign, Quality Improvement, Value Based Care, Length Of Stay, Discharge Planning
About this Content
Aims
To reduce the average number of hours of stay on the day of discharge at the inpatient ward for TTSHs post-op primary spontaneous pneumothorax patient from 15.32 hours to =14 hours in 6 months.
Background
In India, the mean hospital stay for similar cases is 3.83 days. In Europe/Japan, uncomplicated cases have their chest tube removed on POD1 or even on the operation day. Early removal of the chest drain helps lower patient suffering and enables early ambulation.
Methods
The intervention involved removing the chest tube on POD2 and performing a check Chest X-ray 4 hours post-removal. The intervention dates were March 1, 2024, for CXR timing and April 1, 2024, for chest tube removal.
Results
The average number of hours of stay on the day of discharge post-intervention was reduced to 14.25 hours from a pre-intervention average of 15.19 hours. The percentage of patients discharged on POD2 increased from 26% to 65%.
Conclusion
The intervention successfully reduced the average hours of stay and increased the percentage of patients discharged on POD2.
Lessons Learnt
Proper orientation and training for new surgical team members are crucial. It is important to study problems with stakeholders before acting. Work improvement can benefit more stakeholders than initially realized.
Keywords
Post Operative, Thoracic Surgery
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | National Healthcare Group |
Organization(s) Involved | Tan Tock Seng Hospital |
Platform(s) | Appropriate & Value-based Care Conference |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Medical |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Surgery |
Project Lead(s) | Tan Ann Kheng |
Project Member(s) | NA |
Connect with this contributor!
Tan Ann Kheng - ann.kheng.tan@nhghealth.com.sg
Project Attachment
866_TTSH_AVBC_2025_Discharging_Spontaneous_Pneumothorax_Patients_on_Postoperative_Day_2.pdf