A comparison of effectiveness of two surgical units in performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

This study compared the effectiveness of two surgical units in a tertiary care teaching hospital in performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures from a hospital administration perspective. One surgical unit that was first to undertake laparoscopic procedures in the hospital had more experience than the other. The effectiveness was measured in terms of Average Postoperative Hospital Stay that directly affects Bed Turnover Rate and Average Duration of Surgery that directly affects OT Utilization. Rate of conversion to open cholecystectomy was also calculated for each unit separately. The same was compared with the globally acceptable standard. The study design was retrospective, collecting data from the medical records department. The sample size was calculated at level of significance of 5% and power of 90%. There is significance difference in the two surgical units only in terms of the duration of surgery. Conversion rates to open cases are well within the global standard and there is no significant difference between the two units in terms of post operative stay. Continuous medical education in terms of national/international workshops and in-house training for surgeons of Unit B are enough to further sharpen their skills in laparoscopy.