White spots

Scheduling operating rooms (ORs) is a critical aspect of managing surgical patients, especially in Level 1 trauma hospitals. The management of surgical patients, both in elective and emergency settings, relies on planning and scheduling procedures to reduce cancellations, delays, and negative outcomes. Some authors have found that reserving capacity in all elective operating rooms improves responsiveness to emergencies, reduces overtime, and optimizes overall operating room utilization. This article aims to find a suitable arrangement for the multi-specialistic operating block of the “M. Bufalini” Hospital in Cesena, Level 1 Trauma Center, Italy. The proposal is to remove the OR dedicated to urgent surgery (US), keeping the one dedicated to emergency surgery (EM), and redeploy them in slots dedicated to elective activity, redefining them as “white spots”. This proposal requires extreme flexibility and adequate communication between surgical specialties.