The effects of surgeons and anesthesiologists on operating room efficiency

Object The impact of surgeons and anesthesiologists, both individually and paired, on the length of operative procedures was studied. Methods Five general surgeons, six neurosurgeons, and 21 anesthesiologists all completed two personality assessments. A retrospective review of OR records of six procedure types performed by those in the study (2,087 neurosurgical and 2,107 general surgery) was conducted. Statistical analysis was employed to estimate various effects on OR times and to identify the importance of each factor. Results Surgeon effect on OR time varies with procedure type but was greater in neurosurgical cases: LMD (16%), ACDF (14.5%), cranioplasties (6.6%). The combination of surgeon and anesthesiologist had a significant effect on length of the operation: ACDF (7.6%) and LMD (12.5%). Conclusion In some procedures types a significant part of the variability in operative time is due to the interaction between the surgeon and anesthesiologist. Reviewing operative records should allow identification of efficient/inefficient combinations.