Factors Affecting Hand Surgeon Operating Room Turnover Time.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Efficiency

Background:

• Operating room (OR) turnover time is a critical factor in surgical efficiency.
• Identifying determinants of hand surgeon OR turnover time is essential for optimizing workflow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors influencing hand surgeon operating room (OR) turnover time.
• To test the hypothesis that surgeon presence, patient health status (ASA class), case type, and timing reduce OR turnover time.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 685 hand surgery cases performed by 5 attending surgeons.
• Data collected included turnover time, patient comorbidities (ASA class), surgeon, prior/current procedure, location (ASC vs. OSH), time, and case order.
• Statistical analysis of surgeon routine variables, OR case factors, and patient health status on OR turnover.

Main Results:

• Surgeon presence in the OR and staff incentives significantly decreased turnover time (27.5 vs. 30.4 min; 24 vs. 29 min).
• Ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) demonstrated shorter turnover times than orthopedic specialty hospitals (OSHs) (27.9 vs. 36.4 min).
• ASA class, prior/current procedure type, and case order significantly impacted turnover time.

Conclusions:

• Hand surgeon OR turnover time is influenced by surgeon routine, surgical location, patient ASA class, procedure type, and case order.
• Surgeon routine's impact on OR turnover time may be more pronounced in academic OSHs compared to ASCs.