A Study to Identify the Causes of Decreasing Surgical Suite Productivity and Recommend Methods Which May Restore Surgical Output to Previous Levels at the United States Air Force Academy Hospital
Abstract
Surgical productivity at the United States Air Force Academy Hospital steadily decreased over three years. There was no apparent reason for the decline, and evaluation of every activity surrounding the Surgery Department found no overall causative factor. However, during this study it became apparent that the problem could be attributed to command interest. When the Hospital Commander encouraged the surgeons to work harder productivity levels returned to previous levels. This study also found support for other studies in which the Longest Case First method of scheduling surgical cases into operating rooms results in better throughput than other methods. The information in this study points to the possibility that operating room turnovers are faster as the day wears on. This indicates that when shorter cases go last, as in the Longest Cases First method, there is more opportunity for a larger number of faster turnovers; resulting in greater throughput than achieved using other scheduling methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 16, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA237376
Entities
People
- Gary A. Peters
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences