Development and clinical application of an Intelligent Operating Room Scheduling System

To address inefficiencies of traditional operating room scheduling, including excessive time, low subspecialty matching accuracy, and inequitable performance compensation, we developed an Intelligent Operating Room Scheduling System (IORSS) based on the hospital information system (HIS) and evaluated its clinical effects.

System requirements were identified via literature review, interviews, and expert panels. Using agile development, we built an HIS-based IORSS with three modules: rapid room assignment, nurse subspecialty matching, and automated attendance management. A quasi-experimental pre-/post-implementation study compared control (Jan-Jun 2025, manual scheduling) and experimental (Jul-Dec 2025, IORSS-assisted) groups. Outcomes were scheduling time, matching accuracy, and satisfaction with performance distribution fairness.

Scheduling time decreased from 7.0 ± 1.2 to 2.0 ± 0.5 h (P < 0.01); subspecialty matching accuracy improved from 78.6% to 94.3% (P < 0.01); satisfaction with performance fairness increased from 61.5% to 88.3% (P < 0.05).

The HIS-based IORSS significantly reduces scheduling time, improves nurse-to-surgical demand matching, and enhances satisfaction with performance distribution fairness. It effectively boosts OR resource utilization and is ready for broader adoption.