An analysis of time utilization and cancellations of scheduled cases in the main operation theater complex of a tertiary care teaching institute of North India

• Published in: Journal of postgraduate medicine Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 3 - 8
• Main Authors: Talati, S, Gupta, A K, Kumar, A, Malhotra, S K, Jain, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd 01.01.2015; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd
• Subjects: Analysis; Appointments and Schedules; Care and treatment; Efficiency, Organizational; Hospitals; Humans; India; Management; Medical personnel; Nurses; Operating Rooms - manpower; Operating Rooms - utilization; Original; Patients; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; Practice; Prospective Studies; Surgeons; Surgery; Surgical Procedures, Operative - methods; Surgical Procedures, Operative - standards; Tertiary Care Centers - organization & administration; Time Factors; Workflow; Workload - standards; India
• ISSN: 0022-3859; 0972-2823
• DOI: 10.4103/0022-3859.147009

Operation theater (OT) utilization. To analyze the time utilization and to assess the stated causes of cancellations of scheduled cases in the OT complex of a tertiary care teaching institute. This prospective study was carried out from December 2010 to April 2011. each of the 16 OT tables was observed for 6 days (total 96 days). The available resource hours were taken as 0800-1600 hrs. (480 min/day; 46,080 min in 96 days). The following parameters were recorded--time spent on supportive services, time spent on actual surgery, room turn over time, time spent for total procedure and time between entry and exit of patient. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 15. Of the total 325 scheduled cases, 252 were operated and 73 (22.5%) were cancelled. There were delays on 15 days (15.63%) in starting the OT table at the scheduled time. Of the total resource hours (46,080 min), the mean "Raw utilization" was 37,573 min (81.54%) and the "Adjusted utilization" was 39,668 min (86.09%). The mean time spent on "supportive services" was 5539 min (12.02%) and on "actual surgery"' was 28,277 min (61.37%), and the "room turn over time" was 2095 min (5.39%). Among the stated reasons for cancellations, lack of operating time--57 cases (78.1%)--was the most common. Study of time utilization and cancellation are important tools in assessing the optimal utilization of available resource hours in an OT.