Organisation of operating theatres: An Italian benchmarking study

The paper presents the main results of a benchmarking project involving eight Italian hospitals. The project sought to examine and compare the organisational processes adopted in different operating blocks, i.e. complex organisational units comprising many different actors whose performance often has a significant influence on the level of work of the overall structure. The organisational survey was carried out by means of interviews with head nurses, surgeons and anaesthetists. In order to identify the managerial significance of activities and processes, a theoretical model of the operating block was developed, together with an appropriate performance measurement system. On the basis of this model and using analytic hierarchy process, we together with experts from the sector were able both "to measure" the strategic importance of the activities and to identify the best practices.