Modelling Planned vs. Actual Start Time to Control the Efficiency of Surgery.

To control the efficiency of surgery, it is ideal to have actual starting times of surgical procedures coincide with their planned start time. This study analysed over 4 years of data from a large metropolitan hospital and identified factors associated with surgery commencing close to the planned starting time via statistical modelling. A web application comprising novel visualisations to complement the statistical analysis was developed to facilitate translational impact by providing theatre administrators and clinical staff with a tool to assist with continuous quality improvement.

Improving preoperative prediction of surgery duration.

Background: Operating rooms (ORs) are one of the costliest units in a hospital, therefore the cumulative consequences of any kind of inefficiency in OR management lead to a significant loss of revenue for the hospital, staff dissatisfaction, and patient care disruption. One of the possible solutions to improving OR efficiency is knowing a reliable estimate of the duration of operations. The literature suggests that the current methods used in hospitals, e.

A discrete event simulation for improving operating theatre efficiency.

Background: Increasing demand in healthcare services has posed excessive burden on healthcare professionals and hospitals with finite capacity. Operating theatres are critical resources within hospitals that can become bottlenecks in patient flow during high demand conditions. There are substantial costs associated with running operating theatres that include keeping professional staff ready, maintaining operating theatres and equipment, environmental services and cleaning of operating theatres and recovery rooms, and these costs can increase if theatres are not used efficiently.