Resident Led Operating Room Turnover Initiative Reduced Costs and Increased Efficiency

Introduction: The cost of health care in the United States has been steadily rising. Cost utilization has been an important topic of research. Spending in the operating rooms (OR) can be tremendous given the number of staff and equipment required. We implemented a resident led OR turnover initiative with the aim to reduce the turnover time, improving OR efficiency and reducing costs.

Methods: Over a three month period, all neurosurgical OR turnovers were collected. Each turnover was categorized as either “resident led” or “control” group. During resident led turnovers, the chief resident actively helped break down equipment, remove OR trash, clean/sanitize the rooms, set up the case equipment, open the back table, and push the patient from the pre-operative area into the OR. The turnover time was defined from when the first patient exited the room to when the second patient entered the room.

Results: There were 27 turnovers in the resident led group and 51 in the control. The average turnover time for the resident led group was 32.07 minutes and the control group time was 51.92 minutes. The difference in turnover time was 19.85 minutes (p < 0.001), or a time reduction of 38.23%. The average cost per turnover saved by the resident led group was $913.38. The total cost saved over the 3 months was $24,661.31.

Conclusion : The resident led turnover initiative reduced turnover times, improved OR efficiency, and lowered OR costs. There was an added effect of improving morale of the OR team and facilitating resident learning. Although it is not always possible for the resident to help with turnover, there are multiple clear benefits when able.