Operating room productivity is the quantity and quality of output (typically surgical cases) from the surgical suite in contrast to the amount of input required (such as physicians and nurses and equipment for example). Many institutions believe that productivity (output/input) can be accomplished without sacrificing convenience (rapid access to open OR time such that a surgeon can book a case without having to wait) but these two aspects are not separable.
Typically, the greater the operating room utilization, the less the convenience (able to book cases when desired) as defined by surgeons and patients. This is because as utilization goes up there is less available open staffed OR time available on short notice. In other words, the greater the access and convenience, the lower is operating room utilization (because of the need for extra capacity), at least as perceived by hospitals and anesthesiologists. This high level of customer service of being able to book cases on short notice is one reason ambulatory surgery centers typically have lower OR utilization than big city hospitals. The outpatient surgery center usually has reduced overhead when compared to a big city hospital, and therefore can financially get away with lower OR use.
Read more about this topic: Operating Room Management
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