Optimizing Operating Room Throughput

Abstract

Practice Problem: Throughput is an instrumental aspect for hospitals to maximize patient capacity; therefore, methods to improve patient flow should be consistently implemented. Surgical areas are a major contributor to inpatient admissions and the subsequent revenue; however, without the appropriate oversight, patient throughput can be negatively impacted. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In operating room patients who require inpatient admission (P), how does the implementation of a standardized bed flow process (I), compared to the current methods for care transitions (C), reduce perioperative delays and improve hospital financial metrics (O), over a three-month period (T)? Evidence: A review of the evidence revealed that streamlining operating room throughput was essential to the quality of clinical care and patient safety as well as to improve efficiencies associated with patient volumes, lengths of stay and hospital census. Intervention: A dedicated bed flow manager was implemented in the project setting with the overall goal to enhance throughput measures within the operating room. Outcome: While the intervention did not achieve statistical significance as determined by the data analysis, the results did demonstrate clinical significance as the organization was able to maximize capacity and throughput during the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The addition of a dedicated surgical bed flow manager was beneficial to the optimization, standardization and systemization of the perioperative throughput process.