Speeding processes can benefit an operating room by allowing time for additional cases, optimizing utilization, which can reduce costs, and improving patient and physician satisfaction. The length of a surgery depends on some factors, such as the type of procedure, which the hospital has no control over. However, there are variables that hospitals can control to streamline each procedure. Matthew J. Enna, MD, director of Golden State Bone and Joint Clinic in Beverly Hills, Calif., shares four strategies to improve intraoperative efficiency.
1. Recruit competent team members. The competency of OR team members can have a significant impact on how quickly a surgeon is able to complete the procedure. Team members should know where instruments are and the techniques needed to assist the surgeon. In addition, it is helpful to have team members who are experienced in the surgeon's specialty, Dr. Enna says. For instance, if a nurse who is more familiar with general surgery than orthopedic surgery works with an orthopedic surgeon, the nurse may not be able to identify certain instruments quickly, which can delay the procedure.
2. Use preference cards. Using preference cards that list surgeons' preferred instruments can enable nurses and staff to have the correct equipment on hand for a surgery and avoid the need to search for the appropriate tool. "It is imperative to have good preference cards to make things more streamlined," Dr. Enna says.
3. Ensure the circulator nurse is available. The availability of the circulator nurse during a surgery is important to effectively communicate and quickly access needed supplies. Dr. Enna says while the circulator nurse cannot be in the OR for every second of a procedure, ensuring that the nurse is available as much as possible and that he or she communicates the reason for leaving the OR at any point is important in improving efficiency.
4. Develop a stable team. Hospitals can improve intraoperative efficiency by scheduling the same team members to work with a particular surgeon so the team can gain experience working together and communicate more effectively. "If every time you're getting someone new, it's hard to develop a rapport that you need to make things run efficiently," Dr. Enna says. "Having a circulator nurse, scrub nurse and anesthesiologist with whom you're familiar makes for a more efficient surgical experience and day."
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1. Recruit competent team members. The competency of OR team members can have a significant impact on how quickly a surgeon is able to complete the procedure. Team members should know where instruments are and the techniques needed to assist the surgeon. In addition, it is helpful to have team members who are experienced in the surgeon's specialty, Dr. Enna says. For instance, if a nurse who is more familiar with general surgery than orthopedic surgery works with an orthopedic surgeon, the nurse may not be able to identify certain instruments quickly, which can delay the procedure.
2. Use preference cards. Using preference cards that list surgeons' preferred instruments can enable nurses and staff to have the correct equipment on hand for a surgery and avoid the need to search for the appropriate tool. "It is imperative to have good preference cards to make things more streamlined," Dr. Enna says.
3. Ensure the circulator nurse is available. The availability of the circulator nurse during a surgery is important to effectively communicate and quickly access needed supplies. Dr. Enna says while the circulator nurse cannot be in the OR for every second of a procedure, ensuring that the nurse is available as much as possible and that he or she communicates the reason for leaving the OR at any point is important in improving efficiency.
4. Develop a stable team. Hospitals can improve intraoperative efficiency by scheduling the same team members to work with a particular surgeon so the team can gain experience working together and communicate more effectively. "If every time you're getting someone new, it's hard to develop a rapport that you need to make things run efficiently," Dr. Enna says. "Having a circulator nurse, scrub nurse and anesthesiologist with whom you're familiar makes for a more efficient surgical experience and day."
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