Lean and Green Hand Surgery in the Office: Does It Work?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Anesthesiology
• Health Policy and Management

Background:

• Wide-awake (WA) anesthesia is a safe and effective anesthetic technique for various surgical procedures.
• Lean and Green surgical principles aim to reduce waste, decrease costs, and improve efficiency in healthcare settings.
• Combining WA anesthesia with Lean and Green practices offers potential benefits for hand surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction of combining WA anesthesia with Lean and Green principles in an office-based hand surgery setting.
• To assess complications, cost savings, and waste reduction associated with this combined approach.
• To review a single surgeon's experience over a 12-month period.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 437 office-based hand surgery cases.
• Analysis of infection rates, need for secondary procedures, patient satisfaction scores, and cost/waste savings.
• Utilization of custom Lean and Green surgical packs.

Main Results:

• An overall infection rate of 5% (all superficial and treated with oral antibiotics).
• No deep infections or secondary procedures were reported.
• Significant cost savings of $4,650 and waste reduction of 1.1 tons were achieved using Lean and Green surgical packs.
• High patient satisfaction: 99% rated the experience favorably, would recommend, and would undergo the procedure again.

Conclusions:

• Office-based hand surgery utilizing WA anesthesia and Lean and Green principles is a safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sound option.
• This integrated approach leads to substantial cost and waste reduction while maintaining high patient satisfaction.