Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
08:21
Utilizing a 3D Printed Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication Model to Shorten a Resident's Learning Curve
Published on: August 15, 2025
Improving operating theatre efficiency: an intervention to significantly reduce changeover time
Bishoy A B Soliman1, Raymond Stanton, Steven Sowter
1Urology Department, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. bish.soliman@gmail.com
ANZ Journal of Surgery
|November 29, 2012
Summary
Surgical registrars actively participating in patient changeovers significantly reduced operating room times by 48%. This structured intervention improved operating room efficiency and minimized delays in day surgery cases.
Area of Science:
- Surgical efficiency and operating room management.
- Healthcare operations research.
Background:
- Operating theatre inefficiency and delays lead to wasted resources and patient/provider frustration.
- Optimizing patient changeover times is crucial for improving surgical workflow.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if surgical registrars actively involved in patient changeover can enhance operating room efficiency.
- To quantify the impact of registrar involvement on reducing delays between surgical cases.
Main Methods:
- A two-phase prospective cohort study was conducted over 4 weeks, involving endoscopic urological day surgery cases under general anesthesia.
- Phase 1: Documented changeover times without intervention. Phase 2: Implemented a structured intervention with registrar active involvement.
- Outcome measures focused on qualitative aspects of operative efficiency, with statistical analysis performed.
Main Results:
- A 48% reduction in overall case changeover times was observed, decreasing from 27.7 to 15.7 minutes (P < 0.01).
- The structured intervention significantly improved most efficiency markers (P < 0.05).
- Waiting time in the anesthetic holding bay was the only measure not significantly affected (P = 0.13).
Conclusions:
- Active involvement of surgical registrars in patient changeover processes can significantly improve operating room efficiency.
- Implementing structured interventions by registrars effectively reduces patient changeover times.