Monitoring operating room turnaround time: a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Purpose Operating room turnaround time is a key process indicator for hospital business management: delays lead to a reduced surgical interventions per day with a consequent increase in costs and decrease in efficiency. This study aims to increase understanding by assessing the process’ steady-state behaviour and identifying changes that indicate either improvement or deterioration in quality. Design/methodology/approach With this purpose, we retrospectively applied Shewhart control charts and exponentially weighted moving average control charts to data extracted from an hospital information system. Findings The results showed that statistical process control is able to identify steady-state behaviour process and to detect positive or negative changes in process performance. In particular we detected a deterioration in the process performance coinciding with the change in the operanting room patient transfer staff. Practical implications This study showed that statistical quality control is a valuable tool for monitoring performance indicators. Currently, hospital managers are designing an operating room dashboard which also includes the control charts. Originality/value The article highlights the control chart application to organizational indicators allowing an objective operating room system performance assessment