Variation in the practice of cholecystectomy for benign biliary disease in Aotearoa New Zealand: a population-based cohort study

Cholecystectomy for benign biliary disease is common and its delivery should be standardised. However, the current practice of cholecystectomy in Aotearoa New Zealand is unknown. A prospective, national cohort study of consecutive patients having cholecystectomy for benign biliary disease was performed between August and October 2021 with 30-day follow-up, through STRATA, a student- and trainee-led collaborative. Data were collected for 1171 patients from 16 centres. 651 (55.6%) had an acute operation at index admission, 304 (26.0%) had delayed cholecystectomy following a previous admission, and 216 (18.4%) had an elective operation with no preceding acute admissions. The median adjusted rate of index cholecystectomy (as a proportion of index and delayed cholecystectomy) was 71.9% (range 27.2%–87.3%). The median adjusted rate of elective cholecystectomy (as proportion of all cholecystectomies) was 20.8% (range 6.7%–35.4%). Variations across centres were significant (p