Problem Identified
Emergency cases flood into a medical center due to a regional disaster. The OR is unable to effectively coordinate and prioritize its activities both internally and with critical departments and groups across the facility. The result is decreased patient safety, lost productivity, and increased financial and political liability.
Solution Implemented
Case Throughput
Stress
A comprehensive OR schedule was used to prioritize and cancel existing cases and to determine immediate and future availability of rooms and surgical teams. Perioperative information was accessed from the incident command center and entered into the OR schedule which was made transparent in real-time to over 20 different departments and groups across the medical center. OR staff dynamically rearranged room and staff assignments through an intuitive click-and-drag GUI as feedback was received from various departments and groups coordinating their activities with the OR. In addition, preemptive alerts were issued to key personnel whenever critical events under their control were in jeopardy of not occurring on time and had the potential of causing delays.
Benefits Documented
Administrators, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians, clerks, and housekeepers acknowledge that during periods of intense demand, the solution continuously coordinates and prioritizes the facility’s workflows. The result is increased throughput, a reduction in stress, and an increase in the time and attention that is focused on patients.