A Prospective Study on Operation Theater Utilization Time and Most Common Causes of Delays and Cancellations of Scheduled Surgeries in a 1000-Bedded Tertiary Care Rural Hospital with a View to Optimize the Utilization of Operation Theater

BACKGROUND: The operation theater (OT) complex is a costly component of a hospital budget expenditure. This area of hospital activity requires maximum utilization to ensure optimum cost benefit. To achieve a high level of utilization in the OT, it is necessary to efficiently coordinate number of activities and personnel. METHODS: This study was conducted in a 1000-bedded tertiary care teaching hospital in rural maharashtra over aperiod of two months. The OT complex consists of eight major OTs. Normal working hours for routine scheduled cases on all working days except Sundays and public holidays. RESULTS: Total study period consisted of 96 working days. There were a total of eight OT tables of various specialties, and parameters were observed during the routine hours excluding Sundays and holidays. The total procedure time was maximum for ENT followed by orthopedics and least for obstetrics. Room turnover time was maximum for obstetrics followed by general and oncosurgery. Case delays were maximum in general surgery and least for ophthalmology. The most common reason for delay in starting the operation table was patient getting shifted late from the ward and administrative causes. The most prominent reasons for cancellation were lack of operating room time followed by medical reasons of the patient. CONCLUSION: We concluded that most of the causes of delays and cancellations of surgeries were avoidable with proper preoperative planning and optimization of patients and resources and good communication between surgeon anesthesiologists and the nursing staff.