New to Practice Bundle-Surgical Efficiency: Identifying Causes and Reducing Delays in Operating Room Workflow

Surgical Efficiency: Identifying Causes and Reducing Delays in Operating Room Workflow

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Mark Zaghi, a fourth year Harvard MD MBA student, discusses OR efficiency and the causes of delayed first starts. He explains that operating room delays lead to poor utilization of labor and resources, as well as increased healthcare costs. To identify the causes of delays, Zaghi's team used objective EHR data from Mass General Hospital on neurosurgery first case starts. They found that 27% of first starts were delayed, with a median delay of 25 minutes and a total delay time of 157 hours for the year. They discovered that the pre-op complete to in-room segment was significantly different for delayed and non-delayed cases. Patient arrival was also found to contribute to delays, with patients arriving 11 minutes later than expected due to a bottleneck at the Center for Perioperative Care. The team also found confusion regarding when pre-op complete should be checked, leading to further delays. Potential solutions include direct transfers to the neurosurgery PACU, shifting lines into the OR for more parallel processing, and standardizing data collection variables. The team plans to apply these solutions, expand to other surgical departments and institutions, and involve all stakeholders in the improvement process. Zaghi expresses gratitude to his team and mentor, Dr. Brian Naheed. <br /><br />Credit: Transcribed by Dialogflow

Asset Subtitle

Mark Zaki

Keywords

OR efficiency

delayed first starts

operating room delays

healthcare costs

causes of delays