An analysis of time utilization and cancellations of scheduled cases in the main operation theater complex of a tertiary care teaching institute of North India.

Context: Operation theater (OT) utilization. Aims: To analyze the time utilization and to assess the stated causes of cancellations of scheduled cases in the OT complex of a tertiary care teaching institute. Settings and Design: This prospective study was carried out from December 2010 to April 2011. Materials and Methods: each of the 16 OT tables was observed for 6 days (total 96 days). The available resource hours were taken as 0800-1600 hrs. (480 min/day; 46,080 min in 96 days). The following parameters were recorded - time spent on supportive services, time spent on actual surgery, room turn over time, time spent for total procedure and time between entry and exit of patient. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 15. Results: Of the total 325 scheduled cases, 252 were operated and 73 (22.5%) were cancelled. There were delays on 15 days (15.63%) in starting the OT table at the scheduled time. Of the total resource hours (46,080 min), the mean Raw utilization was 37,573 min (81.54%) and the Adjusted utilization was 39,668 min (86.09%). The mean time spent on supportive services was 5539 min (12.02%) and on actual surgery' was 28,277 min (61.37%), and the room turn over time was 2095 min (5.39%). Among the stated reasons for cancellations, lack of operating time - 57 cases (78.1%) - was the most common. Conclusion: Study of time utilization and cancellation are important tools in assessing the optimal utilization of available resource hours in an OT.