Plastic surgery procedure unit: A streamlined care model for minor and intermediate procedures: A cost-benefit...

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Health Economics
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Wide-awake local anesthesia reduces the need for main operating theaters for plastic surgery.
• Dedicated procedural units can offer significant cost benefits to healthcare institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cost-benefits of a dedicated 7-day/week plastic surgery procedural (PSP) unit.
• To assess the impact of the PSP unit on elective and trauma surgeries.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 3058 operations performed in the PSP unit (September 2018 - August 2019).
• Calculation of hospital days saved using admissions data and operating theatre systems.
• Cost analysis using institutional financial data.

Main Results:

• The PSP unit performed 2388 elective and 670 trauma cases.
• Reduced average waiting time for trauma cases by 1.4 days, saving 487 hospital days (€347,861).
• Total calculated cost-benefit was €685,087, including hospital days and resource savings (€337,226).

Conclusions:

• Performing elective and trauma surgeries in dedicated minor procedure units like the PSP is beneficial.
• The PSP unit enhances service efficiency, reduces surgical waiting times, shortens hospital stays, and lowers operating costs.
• Significant overall cost savings are achievable through dedicated procedural units.