Rural centres do not have a higher prevalence of post-operative complications than urban centres: a retrospective analysis of a mortality audit

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The trend towards centralization of surgical care from rural to high-volume centres is based on studies showing better outcomes for patients requiring complex surgical procedures. However, evidence that this also applies to less complex procedures is lacking. This study therefore aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between geographic location (rural versus urban) of surgical procedures of varying complexity and post-operative complications. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study examining all in-hospital deaths reported to the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM) between 2009 and 2016. Multivariable logistic regression was used t..