Fewer intensive care unit refusals and a higher capacity utilization by using a cyclic surgical case schedule

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Operations Research
• Surgical Planning

Background:

• Rising healthcare costs necessitate efficient resource allocation in hospitals.
• Maximizing operating room (OR) capacity and improving patient access are key challenges for hospital managers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the benefits of a cyclic case scheduling approach using a master surgical schedule (MSS).
• To evaluate the impact of MSS on OR utilization, patient outflow to the intensive care unit (ICU), and surgery cancellation rates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electronic data from Erasmus MC since 1994 to construct a repetitive cyclic MSS.
• Scheduled surgical cases by department and OR within a defined cycle.
• Conducted experiments at Erasmus University Medical Center and a virtual hospital.

Main Results:

• Reduced unused OR capacity by up to 6.3% with a 4-week cycle length.
• Achieved optimal leveling of the ICU workload.
• Demonstrated potential for reducing surgery cancellations.

Conclusions:

• The proposed cyclic OR planning policy enhances OR utilization.
• This approach effectively reduces surgical case cancellations.
• It also mitigates peak demands on ICU resources.