A Study of the Quality Indicators in Operation Theater at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Durgapur

Introduction: The quality of operation theater (OT) services is a critical aspect of patient care in a hospital setting. Monitoring and analyzing OT quality indicators against institutional benchmarks helps identify gaps and improve efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the quality indicators in the OT at The Mission Hospital, Durgapur, and assess their alignment with institutional standards. Objective: The objective is to evaluate OT utilization and quality indicators related to scheduling, safety, and anesthesia at a tertiary care hospital in East India and to identify gaps in service delivery. Methodology: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2023, with 2953 surgeries performed. Data on OT utilization and quality indicators, including rescheduling, unplanned returns to OT, anesthesia-related complications, and safety incidents, were collected and analyzed using MS Excel 2016. The study focused on both elective and emergency surgeries across various specialties, including general surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiac surgery, and neurosurgery. Results: The general surgery department had the highest surgery volume (33.9%), followed by orthopedics (24.9%). Key quality indicators included: rescheduling of surgeries (2.57%), unplanned return to OT (1.10%), adverse events due to anesthesia (1.54%), and no cases of wrong patient or the wrong site or wrong surgery as well as mortality due to anesthesia. The average quality indicators met institutional benchmarks, with minimal gaps in scheduling and safety. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that effective scheduling and monitoring of OT quality indicators contribute to optimal OT utilization and patient safety along with the six domains of healthcare quality. Continuous improvement efforts are necessary to address any identified gaps and maintain high-quality service delivery.