Use of time information to maximise theatre utilisation

Abstract

This project aimed to investigate how best to define and record theatre use time periods, to determine how much time was lost in theatre, to design reports on theatre time utilisation which were useful and acceptable to surgeons and hospital managers, and to determine whether the use of these reports affected utilisation. Time lost in theatre increased in proportion to the number of cases on the list, from 0% by definition with only one case to 17% with five cases. Over the eight weeks during which utilisation reports were generated and given to surgeons there was a decrease in time lost as a fraction of total time, from 10-11% to 5-6% (not statistically significant, p = 0.06). This was achieved without observable effect on the proportion of allocated time used, which remained fairly stable. The project illustrated the need to alter theatre procedures to minimise time between cases, replace the theatre book with a microcomputer as a precursor to implementation of a computerised theatre information system, and to continue to test utilisation reports as part of a regular utilisation review.