Dedicated operating room for emergency surgery generates more utilization, less overtime, and less cancellations

Elizabeth van Veen-Berkx; Sylvia G Elkhuizen; Bart Kuijper; Geert Kazemier; Dutch Operating Room Benchmarking Collaborative

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.06.021

Dedicated operating room for emergency surgery generates more utilization, less overtime, and less cancellations

Elizabeth van Veen-Berkx, Sylvia G Elkhuizen, Bart Kuijper, Geert Kazemier, Dutch Operating Room Benchmarking Collaborative

Surgery

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Two approaches prevail for reserving operating room (OR) capacity for emergency surgery: (1) dedicated emergency ORs and (2) evenly allocating capacity to all elective ORs, thereby creating a virtual emergency team. Previous studies contradict which approach leads to the best performance in OR utilization.

METHODS: Quasi-experimental controlled time-series design with empirical data from 3 university medical centers. Four different time periods were compared with analysis of variance with contrasts.

RESULTS: Performance was measured based on 467,522 surgical cases. After closing the dedicated emergency OR, utilization slightly increased; overtime also increased. This was in contrast to earlier simulated results. The 2 control centers, maintaining a dedicated emergency OR, showed a higher increase in utilization and a decrease in overtime, along with a smaller ratio of case cancellations because of emergency surgery.

CONCLUSION: This study shows that in daily practice a dedicated emergency OR is the preferred approach in performance terms regarding utilization, overtime, and case cancellations.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	122-8
Number of pages	7
Journal	American Journal of Surgery
Volume	211
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.06.021
Publication status	Published - Jan 2016

Access to Document

10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.06.021

Cite this

@article{d71e56c25e6a41cc8f9325622d6a9325,

title = "Dedicated operating room for emergency surgery generates more utilization, less overtime, and less cancellations",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Two approaches prevail for reserving operating room (OR) capacity for emergency surgery: (1) dedicated emergency ORs and (2) evenly allocating capacity to all elective ORs, thereby creating a virtual emergency team. Previous studies contradict which approach leads to the best performance in OR utilization.METHODS: Quasi-experimental controlled time-series design with empirical data from 3 university medical centers. Four different time periods were compared with analysis of variance with contrasts.RESULTS: Performance was measured based on 467,522 surgical cases. After closing the dedicated emergency OR, utilization slightly increased; overtime also increased. This was in contrast to earlier simulated results. The 2 control centers, maintaining a dedicated emergency OR, showed a higher increase in utilization and a decrease in overtime, along with a smaller ratio of case cancellations because of emergency surgery.CONCLUSION: This study shows that in daily practice a dedicated emergency OR is the preferred approach in performance terms regarding utilization, overtime, and case cancellations.",

keywords = "Academic Medical Centers, Appointments and Schedules, Efficiency, Organizational, Emergencies, Emergency Service, Hospital, Humans, Netherlands, Operating Rooms, Organizational Policy, Process Assessment (Health Care), Prospective Studies, Surgical Procedures, Operative, Workload, Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't",

author = "{van Veen-Berkx}, Elizabeth and Elkhuizen, {Sylvia G} and Bart Kuijper and Geert Kazemier and {Dutch Operating Room Benchmarking Collaborative}",

year = "2016",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.06.021",

language = "English",

volume = "211",

pages = "122--8",

journal = "American Journal of Surgery",

issn = "0002-9610",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "1",

}

Dedicated operating room for emergency surgery generates more utilization, less overtime, and less cancellations. / van Veen-Berkx, Elizabeth; Elkhuizen, Sylvia G; Kuijper, Bart; Kazemier, Geert; Dutch Operating Room Benchmarking Collaborative.

In: American Journal of Surgery, Vol. 211, No. 1, 01.2016, p. 122-8.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dedicated operating room for emergency surgery generates more utilization, less overtime, and less cancellations

AU - van Veen-Berkx, Elizabeth

AU - Elkhuizen, Sylvia G

AU - Kuijper, Bart

AU - Kazemier, Geert

AU - Dutch Operating Room Benchmarking Collaborative

PY - 2016/1

Y1 - 2016/1

N2 - BACKGROUND: Two approaches prevail for reserving operating room (OR) capacity for emergency surgery: (1) dedicated emergency ORs and (2) evenly allocating capacity to all elective ORs, thereby creating a virtual emergency team. Previous studies contradict which approach leads to the best performance in OR utilization.METHODS: Quasi-experimental controlled time-series design with empirical data from 3 university medical centers. Four different time periods were compared with analysis of variance with contrasts.RESULTS: Performance was measured based on 467,522 surgical cases. After closing the dedicated emergency OR, utilization slightly increased; overtime also increased. This was in contrast to earlier simulated results. The 2 control centers, maintaining a dedicated emergency OR, showed a higher increase in utilization and a decrease in overtime, along with a smaller ratio of case cancellations because of emergency surgery.CONCLUSION: This study shows that in daily practice a dedicated emergency OR is the preferred approach in performance terms regarding utilization, overtime, and case cancellations.

AB - BACKGROUND: Two approaches prevail for reserving operating room (OR) capacity for emergency surgery: (1) dedicated emergency ORs and (2) evenly allocating capacity to all elective ORs, thereby creating a virtual emergency team. Previous studies contradict which approach leads to the best performance in OR utilization.METHODS: Quasi-experimental controlled time-series design with empirical data from 3 university medical centers. Four different time periods were compared with analysis of variance with contrasts.RESULTS: Performance was measured based on 467,522 surgical cases. After closing the dedicated emergency OR, utilization slightly increased; overtime also increased. This was in contrast to earlier simulated results. The 2 control centers, maintaining a dedicated emergency OR, showed a higher increase in utilization and a decrease in overtime, along with a smaller ratio of case cancellations because of emergency surgery.CONCLUSION: This study shows that in daily practice a dedicated emergency OR is the preferred approach in performance terms regarding utilization, overtime, and case cancellations.

KW - Academic Medical Centers

KW - Appointments and Schedules

KW - Efficiency, Organizational

KW - Emergencies

KW - Emergency Service, Hospital

KW - Humans

KW - Netherlands

KW - Operating Rooms

KW - Organizational Policy

KW - Process Assessment (Health Care)

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - Surgical Procedures, Operative

KW - Workload

KW - Clinical Trial

KW - Journal Article

KW - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

U2 - 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.06.021

DO - 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.06.021

M3 - Article

C2 - 26342842

VL - 211

SP - 122

EP - 128

JO - American Journal of Surgery

JF - American Journal of Surgery

SN - 0002-9610

IS - 1

ER -