Purpose : Operating room (OR) 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. The purpose of this paper is 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, the authors 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 the authors detected a deterioration in the process performance coinciding with the change in the operating 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 OR dashboard which also includes the control charts. Originality/value: The paper highlights the control chart application to organizational indicators allowing an objective OR system performance assessment.
Scagliarini, M., Apreda, M., Wienand, U., Valpiani, G. (2016). Monitoring operating room turnaround time: a retrospective analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE, 29(3), 351-359 [10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2015-0105].
Monitoring operating room turnaround time: a retrospective analysis
SCAGLIARINI, MICHELE;
2016
Abstract
Purpose : Operating room (OR) 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. The purpose of this paper is 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, the authors 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 the authors detected a deterioration in the process performance coinciding with the change in the operating 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 OR dashboard which also includes the control charts. Originality/value: The paper highlights the control chart application to organizational indicators allowing an objective OR system performance assessment.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.