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Reducing Operating Room Turnover Time for Robotic Surgery Using a Motor Racing Pit Stop Model.
Colby P Souders1, Ken R Catchpole2, Lauren N Wood1
1Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.
World Journal of Surgery
|March 31, 2017
Summary
Implementing a motor racing pit stop model significantly reduced robotic operating room turnover times. This streamlined process improved efficiency and decreased room ready time, enhancing overall operating room utilization.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Surgical Operations
- Process Improvement
Background:
- Operating room (OR) turnover time is critical for hospital efficiency.
- Surgical robots complicate OR turnovers, leading to variable times.
- Streamlining robotic OR turnover is essential for efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To decrease robotic operating room turnover times.
- To increase operating room efficiency.
- To implement a structured turnover process.
Main Methods:
- Direct observation of 45 pre-intervention robotic OR turnovers.
- Applied motor racing pit stop concepts: briefings, leadership, role definition, task allocation, and sequencing.
- Developed turnover task cards and assigned roles for 41 post-intervention cases.
Main Results:
- Average total OR turnover time decreased from 99.2 to 53.2 minutes.
- Average room ready time reduced from 42.2 to 27.2 minutes (p < 0.0001).
- Significant improvements observed 3 months post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- Role definition, task allocation, and sequencing improve robotic OR turnover efficiency.
- Visual cues enhance ease-of-use for sustainable process changes.
- High-risk industry models can inform OR task and team management.