Application of modular surgical supply kits to preoperative preparation for thyroid surgery: a randomized controlled...

To investigate the impact of modular surgical supply kits on work efficiency and nursing quality during preoperative preparation for thyroid surgery.

A total of 106 patients scheduled for elective thyroid surgery from January 2024 to June 2024 were screened, and 100 were randomly assigned to a control group (traditional preparation, n = 50) or an experimental group (modular kit, n = 50). The sample size was determined a priori based on the primary outcome of preoperative preparation time. The preoperative preparation time, item omission rate, nurse/surgeon satisfaction, operating room turnover time, number of intraoperative supplemental item requests, and postoperative return rate of unused consumables were recorded.

Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed a significant reduction in the primary outcome of preoperative preparation time (24 ± 4 vs. 30 ± 5 min; MD = -6.0 min, 95% CI: -7.6 to -4.4; P < 0.01). In exploratory analyses of six secondary outcomes (Bonferroni correction applied, α = 0.0083), the item omission rate was lower in the experimental group (0% vs. 2%; OR = 0.00, 95% CI: 0.00-0.98; Fisher's exact P = 0.04), but after correction this difference was not statistically significant (adjusted P = 0.24). Nurse satisfaction (aggregated mean score: 92.1 ± 3.4 vs. 75.8 ± 4.2; MD = 16.3, 95% CI: 12.0-20.6; P < 0.01) and surgeon satisfaction (aggregated mean score: 86.5 ± 3.1 vs. 71.2 ± 4.5; MD = 15.3, 95% CI: 10.9-19.7; P < 0.01) remained significant after correction (adjusted P < 0.0083). Turnover time decreased by 20% (12 ± 2 vs. 15 ± 3 min; MD = -3.0 min, 95% CI: -4.0 to -2.0; P = 0.01), but after correction this difference did not reach statistical significance (adjusted P = 0.06). Intraoperative supplementation frequency decreased by 75% (0.3 ± 0.1 vs. 1.2 ± 0.3; MD = -0.9, 95% CI: -1.0 to -0.8; P < 0.01; adjusted P < 0.0083). The rate of return for unused consumables was lower (5% vs. 15%; OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.13-0.69; P < 0.01; adjusted P < 0.0083).

Modular surgical supply kits optimize the preoperative process for thyroid surgery, improving efficiency and reducing consumable waste. However, due to design limitations (patient-level randomization with potential contamination, lack of blinding for some outcomes, and no trial registration), these findings should be considered preliminary and require confirmation in a cluster-randomized trial.