Keys to optimizing operating room efficiency

Improving Operating Room Efficiency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

One minute of operating room (OR) time costs $36 to 37. However, ORs are notoriously inefficient. There is growing literature on improving OR efficiency, but no formal review of this topic within otolaryngology has been performed. This study reviews and synthesizes the current literature on improving OR efficiency within otolaryngology.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, preprints.org, and medRxiv were searched on November 4, 2022.

REVIEW METHODS

Published English studies were included if they reported on metrics for improving OR efficiency within otolaryngology. There were no publication date restrictions. Articles were screened by 2 reviewers. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis reporting for scoping reviews was followed.

RESULTS

The search yielded 9316 no-duplicate articles; 129 articles were included. Most of the studies reported on head and neck procedures (n = 52/129). The main tactics included surgical considerations: hemostatic devices, techniques, and team/simultaneous approaches; anesthetic considerations: local anesthetic and laryngeal mask airways; procedure location considerations: procedures outside of the OR and remote technologies; standardization: equipment, checklists, and personnel; scheduling considerations: use of machine learning for booking, considering patient/surgeon factors, and utilizing dedicated OR time/multidisciplinary teams for on-call cases.

CONCLUSION

The current literature brings to attention numerous strategies for improving OR efficiency within otolaryngology. Applying these strategies and implementing novel techniques to manage surgical cases may assist in offloading overloaded health care systems and improving access to care while facilitating patient safety and outcomes. Anticipated barriers to implementation include resistance to change, funding, and the current strain on health care systems and providers.

Assessing the Precision of Surgery Duration Estimation: A Retrospective Study

Background and Objectives

The operating room (OR) is considered the highest source of cost and earnings. Therefore, measuring OR efficiency, which means how time and resources are allocated precisely for their intended purposes in the operating room is crucial. Both overestimation and underestimation negatively impact OR efficiency Therefore, hospitals defined metrics to Measuring OR Effeciency. Many studies have discussed OR efficiency and how surgery scheduling accuracy plays a vital role in increasing OR efficiency. This study aims to evaluate OR efficiency using surgery duration accuracy.

Methods

This retrospective, quantitative study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City. We extracted data on 97,397 surgeries from 2017 to 2021 from the OR database. The accuracy of surgery duration was identified by calculating the duration of each surgery in minutes by subtracting the time of leaving the OR from the time of entering the OR. Based on the scheduled duration, the calculated durations were categorized as either underestimation or overestimation. Descriptive and bivariate analyses (Chi-square test) were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software.

Results

Sixty percent out of the 97,397 surgeries performed were overestimated compared to the time scheduled by the surgeons. Patient characteristics, surgical division, and anesthesia type showed statistically significant differences (p <0.05) in their OR estimation.

Conclusion

Significant proportion of procedures have overestimated. This finding provides insight into the need for improvement.

Recommendations

It is recommended to enhance the surgical scheduling method using machine learning (ML) models to include patient characteristics, department, anesthesia type, and even the performing surgeon increases the accuracy of duration estimation. Then, evaluate the performance of an ML model in future studies.

Economic Impact of the Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Protocol in a Bariatric Patient Undergoing a Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass

INTRODUCTION

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols have proven to be cost-effective in various surgical procedures, mainly in colorectal surgeries. However, there is still little scientific evidence evaluating the economic impact of their application in bariatric surgery. The present study aimed to compare the economic cost of performing a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass following an ERAS protocol, with the costs of following a standard-of-care protocol.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A prospective non-randomized study of patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was performed. Patients were divided into two groups: patients following an ERAS protocol and patients following a standard-of-care protocol. The total costs of the procedure were subdivided into pharmacological expenditures, surgical material, and time expenses, the price of complementary tests performed during the hospital stay, and costs related to the hospital stay.

RESULTS

The 84 patients included 58 women (69%) and 26 men (31%) with a mean age of 44.3 ± 11.6 years. There were no significant differences in age, gender, and distribution of comorbidities between groups. Postoperative pain, nausea or vomiting, and hospital stay were significantly lower within the ERAS group. The pharmacological expenditures, the price of complementary tests performed during the hospital stay, and the costs related to the hospital stay, were significantly lower in the ERAS group. There were no significant differences in the surgical material and surgical time costs between groups. Globally, the total cost of the procedure was significantly lower in the ERAS group with a mean saving of 1458.62$ per patient. The implementation of an ERAS protocol implied a mean saving of 21.25% of the total cost of the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of an ERAS protocol significantly reduces the perioperative cost of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.