Operating room waste: disposable supply utilization in neurosurgical procedures

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Surgical Operations Management
• Medical Supply Chain

Background:

• Disposable supplies represent a substantial cost in operating rooms (ORs).
• Significant financial and environmental waste arises from unused OR supplies post-surgery.
• Limited research exists on OR supply utilization and associated waste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify disposable supply utilization in neurosurgery.
• To determine the cost of opened but unused supplies (waste) in neurosurgical procedures.

Main Methods:

• Direct observation of 58 neurosurgical cases to quantify unused disposable supplies.
• Cost determination using the institution's supply catalog.
• Statistical analysis to identify predictors of supply waste.

Main Results:

• Average cost of unused supplies was $653 per case (13.1% of total supply cost).
• Case type, category, and surgeon were significant predictors of waste.
• Estimated annual OR waste for the neurosurgery department was $2.9 million.

Conclusions:

• Neurosurgical procedures exhibit significant variation and magnitude of OR waste.
• Recommendations include price transparency, staff education, and preference card optimization.
• Targeted interventions are needed to reduce OR supply waste effectively.