Using operating room turnover time by anesthesia trainee level to assess improving systems-based practice milestones.

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Education

Background:

• Operating room (OR) efficiency is crucial for cost-effectiveness and quality of care.
• Limited research exists on how anesthesia trainees impact OR efficiency.
• Assessing trainee efficiency can reveal awareness and implementation of systems-based practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of anesthesia trainee levels on operating room turnover times.
• To determine if there is a correlation between trainee progression and anesthesia-related efficiency.
• To identify potential differences in efficiency among various anesthesia provider levels.

Main Methods:

• Collected 546 data points on anesthesia-controlled OR turnover times over 4 months using computerized OR information systems.
• Compared turnover times across clinical anesthesia (CA) trainee levels (CA1, CA2, CA3) and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs).
• Utilized descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze data, considering surgery type and patient ASA physical status.

Main Results:

• Average OR turnover time was 31 minutes (range: 8-60 minutes).
• CA-3 residents (29 min) and CRNAs (30 min) had significantly shorter turnover times compared to CA-1 residents (32 min) (p < 0.05).
• No significant differences in turnover time were observed across American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status categories.

Conclusions:

• Anesthesia trainee efficiency improves with progressive education levels.
• Initial educational phases may temporarily impact productivity, reflecting a learning curve.
• This trend suggests developing mastery and a deeper understanding within graduate medical education, benefiting clinical and academic outcomes.