Do technically efficient surgeons continue to provide active clinical services in a university hospital?

Yoshinori Nakata,Yuichi Watanabe,Akihiko Ozaki,Hiroshi Otake,Linda L Maerz

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0254515

Yoshinori Nakata, Yuichi Watanabe + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254515

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Abstract

It is difficult for university hospitals to recruit and retain technically efficient surgeons because their missions include teaching and research as well as clinical services. The authors hypothesized that technically efficient surgeons do not continue to provide active clinical services in a university hospital. The authors collected data from all the surgical procedures performed at Teikyo University Hospital from April 1 through September 30 in 2013–2018. The dependent variable was defined as a length of each surgeon’s active clinical services measured by month. Data envelopment analysis was employed to calculate each surgeon’s technical efficiency score. Five control variables were selected; experience, medical school, surgical volume, gender, and academic ranks. Multiple regression analysis was performed. Efficiency scores had significantly negative association with length of active clinical services. Experience and surgical volume had significantly positive association with length of active clinical services. The other coefficients of control variables were insignificant. Technically efficient surgeons provide shorter active clinical services in a university hospital.

Highlights

Operating room efficiency is an important concern in most hospitals, including university hospitals and academic medical centers
We previously reported that technically efficient surgeons have shorter tenures at a university hospital [1]
From our ordinary least squares model multiple regression analysis, we demonstrated that technically efficient surgeons have shorter length of active clinical services at a university hospital

Summary

Introduction

Operating room efficiency is an important concern in most hospitals, including university hospitals and academic medical centers. Recruiting and retaining technically efficient surgeons are the keys for the hospitals to survive in the increasingly fierce healthcare market competition. It may be difficult for university hospitals and academic medical centers to recruit and retain technically efficient surgeons because their missions include clinical services and teaching and research. We previously reported that technically efficient surgeons have shorter tenures at a university hospital [1]. According to our literature search on Medline, this has been the first and only research that focused on the relationship between surgeons’ length of active clinical services and their technical efficiency.

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