Key result
The presence of a junior resident during robotic-assisted procedures was significantly associated with an increased case length differential of 26.9 minutes.
Why the study?
Prior studies on the effect of assistants on surgical outcomes have been limited in scope with differing results, and understanding how assistant experience affects operating room time could inform scheduling and training.
Does the experience level of the surgical assistant affect operating room time in robotic-assisted operations?
Cohort (n=2,291)
No
Does the experience level of the surgical assistant affect operating room time in robotic-assisted operations?
Mean Difference: 26.9
p-value: p=0.01
The presence of a junior resident as an assistant during robotic-assisted procedures is associated with significantly increased operating room time, suggesting a need for formal robotic assistant training programs.
May guide robotic OR scheduling by assistant experience; leaves open causal effects on efficiency.
Many robotic procedures require active participation by assistants. Most prior work on assistants' effect on outcomes has been limited in procedural focus and scope, with studies reporting differing results. Knowing how assistant experience affects operating room time could inform operating room case scheduling and provide an impetus for additional assistant training. As such, this retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the association between assistant experience and operating room time for 2291 robotic-assisted operations performed from 2016 to 2022 at our institution. Linear regression showed a significant association between the presence of a junior resident and increased case length differential with an increase of 26.9 min (p = 0.01). There were no significant associations between the presence of a senior resident (p = 0.52), presence of a fellow (p = 0.20), or presence of a physician assistant (p = 0.43) and case length differential. The finding of increased operating room time in the presence of a junior resident during robotic cases supports consideration of the adoption of formal assistant training programs for residents to improve efficiency.
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Brian et al. (2023) conducted a cohort in Robotic-assisted operations (n=2,291). Presence of a junior resident vs. Absence of a junior resident was evaluated on Case length differential (actual minus scheduled operating room time) (increase of 26.9 min, p=0.01). The presence of a junior resident during robotic-assisted procedures was significantly associated with an increased case length differential of 26.9 minutes.
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