BACKGROUND: Team size and composition provide essential data for the study of operating room (OR) efficiency. METHODS: Laparoscopic procedures between July 2005 and July 2007 were reviewed retrospectively to record the number of OR personnel and the procedure time (PT). RESULTS: Of 399 procedures reviewed, 360 cases with complete data were analyzed. The average PT was 148 minutes. A mean of 8 different team members (range, 4-15) were involved. Surgeons and anesthesiologists stayed constant whereas the OR nurses were replaced more than once per procedure (mean, 4 nurses/procedure; range, 2-11). Multiple regression analysis revealed that both complexity of surgery and team size affected the PT significantly. When procedure complexity and patient condition were held constant, we found that adding 1 individual to a team predicted a 15.4-minutes increase in PT. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical team is a dynamic system with a large amount of member turnover. Efforts to improve OR efficiency should focus on decreasing surgical team size, limiting staff turnover, and enhancing communication between team members.
BACKGROUND: Team size and composition provide essential data for the study of operating room (OR) efficiency. METHODS: Laparoscopic procedures between July 2005 and July 2007 were reviewed retrospectively to record the number of OR personnel and the procedure time (PT). RESULTS: Of 399 procedures reviewed, 360 cases with complete data were analyzed. The average PT was 148 minutes. A mean of 8 different team members (range, 4-15) were involved. Surgeons and anesthesiologists stayed constant whereas the OR nurses were replaced more than once per procedure (mean, 4 nurses/procedure; range, 2-11). Multiple regression analysis revealed that both complexity of surgery and team size affected the PT significantly. When procedure complexity and patient condition were held constant, we found that adding 1 individual to a team predicted a 15.4-minutes increase in PT. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical team is a dynamic system with a large amount of member turnover. Efforts to improve OR efficiency should focus on decreasing surgical team size, limiting staff turnover, and enhancing communication between team members.
Authors: Jasmin Kantarevic; Nadine Chami; Chris Vinden; Joanna Nadolski; Michael Adamson; Yin Li; Sharada Weir; James G Wright; Andrew McClure; Samantha Hill Journal: Can J Surg Date: 2022-10-12 Impact factor: 2.840
Authors: Eli M Cahan; Henry C Cousins; Joshua T Steere; Nicole A Segovia; Matthew D Miller; Derek F Amanatullah Journal: Bone Joint J Date: 2021-02 Impact factor: 5.082
Authors: Sallie J Weaver; Eduardo Salas; Rebecca Lyons; Elizabeth H Lazzara; Michael A Rosen; Deborah Diazgranados; Julia G Grim; Jeffery S Augenstein; David J Birnbach; Heidi King Journal: J Emerg Trauma Shock Date: 2010-10