Scheduling of Elective Surgical Cases within Allocated Block-times: Can the Future be Drawn from the Experience of the Past ?

Abstract

We determined a strategy to regulate the elective occupation of operating rooms; it was based on the determination of a median operating room occupation time, per procedure and per operator.

Methods: Median occupation times were determined from a retrospective analysis of 12 consecutive months of operating activity (966 patients). These data were prospectively used in surgical planning, with a daily occupation limit set at 10 hours. After four months collecting data, daily recorded (ROT) and predicted (POT) occupation times were compared. The surgical activity during that test period (group A) was compared to the activity of the same period in the previous year (group B) and the evolution of the waiting lists for surgery were analysed for each of the operators. Results: At the end of the four-month observation period, 317 surgical cases spread over 105 operating days were recorded. The correlation between ROT and POT was strong (r = 0.911, p < 0.001). The relative error in this prediction was 13 ± 11 min. In comparison with group B, group A was characterized by a significant reduction in occurrence (p = 0.015) and duration (p = 0.007) of time limit overruns and in variability of daily occupation time (p < 0.001). The waiting list was reduced for all operators at the end of the test period.

Conclusion: Determination of individualized median occupation times, associated with definition of a daily limit, resulted in reduction of time overruns and delays before surgery.

Key Words:

• Operating room
• management
• information systems
• time factor
• surgical procedure
• elective

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S.M. Broka

S. M. Broka Department of Anaesthesiology University Clinics UCL of Mont-Godinne Avenue Thérasse, 1 B–5530 Yvoir, Belgium Tel.: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [email protected]