Staff rostering in the operating department

Roster process review: a case study on the implications of preliminary findings

Rostering is an important process to enable efficient, effective and safe delivery of health care, and one which receives little attention. The work outlined in this case study demonstrates that the analysis of rostering processes from a range of perspectives including the organisation, staff and the roster manager can identify significant opportunities for improvement. Roster governance is not universally applied, nor understood, which can result in dissonant expectations between managers and staff and a lack of transparency in how and why decisions about rostering are made. Redesigning roster processes can promote more effective governance and improve organisational efficiency.

Do variations in the theatre team have an impact on the incidence of complications?

Background

To examine whether variations in non-medical personnel influence the incidence of complications in a cataract theatre.

Methods

A retrospective Case-Control study was undertaken in a single-site, designated cataract theatre. Staffing variations within theatre were examined and the incidence of cataract complications was assessed.

Results

100 complicated lists and 200 uncomplicated control lists were chosen. At least 7 nurses were present for every list. Mean experience of the nurses was 6.4 years for case lists and 6.5 years for control lists. Average scrub nurse experience in years was 7.6 years for complicated lists and 8.0 years for controls. 26% of complicated case lists were affected by unplanned leave and 17% in control lists. Odds ratio 1.7 (1.0 to 3.1) 95% CI.

Conclusion

Unplanned leave can have a detrimental effect on the operating list. The impact of this may be modifiable with careful planning.

Team-based self-rostering

In this article in the Improving Working Lives series, Lesley Fudge follows up on the discussion of self-rostering begun by Judith Tanner and Gloria Bailey in the May issue of the BJPN. This article looks at team-based self-rostering, identifying the benefits, the pitfalls, its implementation and some of the key questions arising from the concept.