Decreasing Room Traffic in Orthopedic Surgery: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Abstract

Operating room (OR) traffic and door openings increase potential for air contamination in the OR and create distractions for surgical teams. A multidisciplinary intervention was developed among OR staff, surgical staff, vendors, radiology, and anesthesia and approved by the hospital system’s patient and quality safety department for implementation. Interventions included education, OR signage, and team-based accountability and behavioral interventions. After interventions were implemented, a second prospective, observational data collection was performed and compared to preintervention OR traffic. A total of 35 cases were observed over the 3-month period in the preintervention group; 42 cases were observed in the postintervention group. Average door openings per minute decreased by 22% ( P = .0011) after intervention. All surgical groups excluding anesthesia had significant reductions in OR traffic following the intervention. Behavioral interventions that focus on education, awareness, and efficiency strategies can decrease overall OR traffic for orthopedic cases.