SURGICAL/CRITICAL CARE


SURGICAL/CRITICAL CARE


Surgical Suite Turnover


Will supply and staff shortages, keep ORs out of operation? by Kara Nadeau


Photo 88326725 © Mohamed Osama | Dreamstime.com U


.S. hospitals began 2023 with tremen- dous financial losses and are at the same time struggling with increased expenses, labor shortages and supply dis- ruptions. The operating room (OR) is a main driver of reimbursement/revenue so there is tremendous pressure on perioperative teams to turn over ORs faster to facilitate more cases in a safe and effective manner. “The overall economy will slowly settle


down and this will reduce staff turnover,” said Suneil Mandava, Founder & CEO, Mobile Aspects, comment- ing on the current state of U.S. ORs. “On the flip side, Americans will increase their use of hospitals and so volumes will continue to go up. Perioperative teams should be evaluating solu-


Suneil Mandava


tions that can take some of the onus off their team members. This will reduce burnout and reduce training required for new team members.” Insights on surgical suite challenges and opportunities for more efficient turnovers from Mandava and others are presented alongside recent peer-reviewed research on proven approaches to improving OR turn- over time (TOT).


Set the standard


Effective change starts with setting a base- line for improvements. To improve OR turn- over times, Sheri J. Voss, MS, RN, CNOR (E), Associate Principal Consultant, Global


Solutions, Owens & Minor, says periopera- tive leaders must first define the goal they want to achieve. “Hospitals continue to face compounding


obstacles of increased labor costs and staff shortages – factors that can increase the burdens on OR leaders and cause delays in the amount of time it takes to turn over an OR between patients,” said Voss. “This makes it critical for ORs to create efficiencies in terms of both time and resources, regardless of case complexity.” “Defining the standard turnover time and gaining surgeon buy-in to pinpoint specific areas for improvement is one way OR lead- ers can identify barriers to OR efficiency,” Voss continued. “With barriers identified, OR leaders can address surgical turnover delays through streamlined supply chain processes, services and technology, creating a more efficient environment for high-quality, cost-effective procedures.”


Sheri J. Voss Communication


“As with most operational challenges, the greatest issue facing Perioperative teams as it relates to surgical suite turnover begins with communication,” said Matt Rechin, Chief Commercial Officer, Ready Set Surgical. “Most delays are caused because of a breakdown in communication; between housekeeping and the OR, the SPD to the OR, etc.”


14 February 2023 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com The impact of effective communication


on OR TOTs was demon- strated in a study published in the July 2022 edition of BMJ Open Quality. The researchers stated: “Operating room (OR) management plays a pivotal role in the healthcare system due to the high cash flow it yields. Enhancing communication in the OR, which is the com- mon root problem for delays, might improve OR efficiency and revenues for healthcare.” They studied the impact of a “OR relay


Matt Rechin


strategy” on TOT, where a certified regis- tered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) was stationed outside of the OR, coordinating the steps to get the next patient ready. This CRNA communicated with the anesthesia providers within the OR via a Microsoft Team chat. The researchers used the electronic anesthe- sia record system to record the TOT for the control group. They found the relay strategy decreased TOT for most ORs, with statistically signif- icant results for three of the ORs and the overall ORs system. They also saw decreased variability between TOTs for the overall OR and the majority of the ORs evaluated individually.


Staff productivity


“In talking with hospital executives around the country, the number one challenge for surgical suite turnover continues to be finding and training staff members,” said


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46