Operating room design can improve surgery efficiency and hospital profitability.
This is according to new research that reveals how optimising the design and layout of operating rooms (ORs) can significantly reduce surgery times and enhance hospital efficiency.
Dr Xiaobo Quan, an associate professor at The University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design, led the study, Can Operating Room Design Make Orthopaedic Surgeries Shorter, Safer, and More Efficient?: A Quasi-Experimental Study, which focused on the impact of physical space on orthopaedic surgeries, specifically knee- and hip-replacement procedures.
Dr Quan observed 70 surgeries in real-time, comparing two different OR designs within a Midwestern hospital.
The same surgical teams performed the surgeries to ensure consistency in performance. One of the operating rooms was large and better designed in terms of layout and flow, while the other was more traditionally structured.
Dr Quan’s findings demonstrated a clear connection between OR design and surgical efficiency, with the better-designed room significantly reducing average surgery time.
He said: ‘The breakthrough for my study is that it is the first to link the built environment of ORs to surgery duration.’
While previous studies had explored the effects of space design on disruptions during surgery, they needed to fully control for variables such as the specific procedure being performed or the individual surgeon’s speed.
This latest study controlled for these critical factors, isolating the effect of room design on surgical performance.
In the better-designed OR, Dr Quan identified fewer instances of what he termed ‘surgical flow disruptions’, which are interruptions such as physical collisions between staff members or equipment obstructions.
These disruptions not only extend surgery time but can also pose safety risks.
He said: ‘Naturally, if we experience more disruptions to our surgery process, we will have a longer surgery. However, no previous research studies are looking at that. My study was the first one to make the connection directly.’
The study found that surgeries conducted in the optimised room took, on average, five to six minutes less than those performed in the traditional room.
This reduction may seem modest for surgeries that typically last between 80 and 100 minutes, but it can lead to significant time savings when applied to a day’s worth of operations.
Dr Quan estimates this efficiency could save up to two hours in total staffing time for each OR daily. This is particularly meaningful in a healthcare environment facing increasing labour costs.
The study also points out faster surgeries financially benefit hospitals and improve patient outcomes.
Dr Quan plans to continue his research to identify additional ways to optimise OR design for greater efficiency.
