Day Case Operating Theatre Utilisation and Influencing Factors: An Observational Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Abstract Background: The hike in day case operations in the recent past is due to the advantage of minimal hospital stay for patients and increased revenue for the hospital. Theatre utilisation is the key performance indicator for an operating theatre. Hence, identifying and rectifying the factors affecting its utilisation is vital. Objectives: The objectives were to analyse the overall operating theatre utilisation, to assess the turnaround time and to determine the factors affecting operating theatre utilisation. Methods: An observational study was conducted in 2 day case operating theatres from Monday to Friday over a 4-month period. Time related to various events of all the operations performed in both theatres was recorded. A tool was developed to assess the number of operations posted, performed, cancelled and the reasons for delays and cancellations. Medical and nursing experts in the field evaluated the validity and reliability of the tool. The data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. The study was done consecutively in 2 day-case operating theatres from Monday to Friday over 4 months. Results: In 84 days, 747 operations were performed. The operating theatre was under-utilised by dental (24.58%) and over-utilised by endocrine (118.33%). The mean turnover time was observed as 11.37 min, and 66.99% of turnover time occurred within 10 min. The cancellation rate varied from 16.8% to 53.8%. Conclusions: The major reason for the first case delay was patient arrived late/not reported and the delay from the ward. Therefore, adequate pre-operative assessment and communication are essential for efficient operating theatre utilisation.