Interdisciplinary Work Flow Assessment and Redesign Decreases Operating Room Turnover Time and Allows for Additional Caseload

Abstract

Improving operating room (OR) efficiency is critical to the economic viability of the institutions and the physicians. It is estimated that for every operative month, the equivalent of 5 working days are wasted through a combination of factors, including inappropriate patient preparation, insufficient staffing (surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses), OR reassignment to emergency cases, and congestion in the postanesthesia care unit.¹