Mathematical modeling to define optimum operating room staffing needs for trauma centers

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Surgical Operations Management
• Healthcare Resource Allocation

Background:

• Verification of Level II trauma centers by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma allows for an on-call operating room team if performance metrics are met.
• This study aimed to introduce a volume guideline for on-call surgical teams using queuing and simulation methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a volume guideline for on-call operating room teams at verified trauma centers.
• To assess the impact of patient volume on the need for immediately available surgical teams during overnight hours.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 72 verified trauma centers, focusing on overnight trauma operations over 12 months.
• Utilized queuing and simulation methodology to model operating room utilization and patient flow.

Main Results:

• Annual admissions correlated significantly with the number of overnight operations (p < 0.001).
• The probability of operating room occupancy varied based on annual admissions and injury type (blunt vs. penetrating).
• Calculated projected overnight operation volumes and the likelihood of simultaneous operating room use for different patient admission levels.

Conclusions:

• Trauma centers with fewer than six overnight operations per year may benefit from an on-call surgical team model.
• Resource conservation is achievable by optimizing staffing based on demonstrated overnight surgical volume.
• Performance-improvement programs are crucial for monitoring the safety and efficacy of on-call surgical team models.