5 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 8
W
hy do we obsess over
turnover time? It's simple:
Time is money and highly
resource-intensive OR time
is incredibly expensive.
And besides being a source of lost revenue,
room delays can frustrate surgeons, staff
and patients.
We all want to lower our
turnover times, but what exactly are
we measuring?
Depends on whom you
ask. For your nurses,
turnover time is typically
"wheels out" to
"wheels in," mean-
ing from when
one patient leaves
the OR until the next
patient enters. For your
anesthesiologists,
turnover time is typically
from when one patient is trans-
ported to PACU and report is given
until the next patient's anesthetic
induction. And for your surgeons,
turnover time is typically from closure of one
patient's wound until the next patient's incision.
The Quest for Faster Room Turnover
9 steps for more efficient room setup and teardown.
Margaret Wasserman, BSN, RN, CNOR | Chicago, Ill.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
• READY, SET …
OR turnover time is
most efficient when
everyone is on the same
page, using the same
definition of room
turnover.