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Consultant work patterns. Blade runners.
The Health Service Journal
|February 24, 2001
Summary
Consultant orthopaedic surgeons averaged only seven hours of operating time weekly, with many falling below recommended minimums. This inefficient use of specialist time and resources warrants a halt in new appointments until current surgeons meet productivity standards.
Area of Science:
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Healthcare Management
- Surgical Workforce Analysis
Background:
- Orthopaedic surgical workload and efficiency are critical for healthcare system performance.
- Previous assessments of consultant orthopaedic surgeon (COS) operating hours are limited.
- The British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) has established minimum recommended operating hours.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the current operating hours of consultant orthopaedic surgeons in two English regions.
- To assess adherence to recommended minimum operating hours.
- To evaluate the impact of increased consultant numbers on patient throughput.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of operating hours for 182 consultant orthopaedic surgeons.
- Comparison of observed hours against British Orthopaedic Association recommendations.
- Examination of trends in outpatient and inpatient activity over a decade.
Main Results:
- Consultant orthopaedic surgeons averaged seven hours of operating time per week.
- One-fifth of surgeons worked below the BOA's minimum recommended hours.
- Despite a 50% increase in COS, patient numbers have decreased compared to 10 years prior.
Conclusions:
- Current operating hours raise concerns regarding the effective utilization of specialist time and operating theatre resources.
- A moratorium on appointing new consultant orthopaedic surgeons is recommended until existing staff achieve a minimum of eight operating hours per week.