R7 Theatre time trials: an efficiency study of paediatric dentistry lists

Abstract

Objective: To determine usage of theatre time during Paediatric Dentistry operating lists.Design: Prospective cross‐sectional study.Setting: Operating theatres, Sheffield Children's Hospital.Sample and methods: A standard data collection sheet was employed to record the following information: session (am/pm); type and time of anaesthetic induction; medical status of patient; dental procedures undertaken and total operating time; start and finish time of list and reason for any delays. Each session allocation was 210 minutes.Results: Data were collected for 36 consecutive Paediatric Dentistry lists over a 4‐month period, involving 95 patients. A further eight patients were cancelled on admission. Only one list started on time, the remaining lists had a mean delay of 16 minutes (SD = 12.9; range = 1–51). Delays were mainly attributed to porter shortages, ward delays and late arrival of the anaesthetist. The mean time taken to anaesthetise a patient was 18 minutes (SD = 7.7; range = 5–42) with no significant differences according to type of intubation or patient's medical status (P > 0.05, ANOVA). Mean operating time was 32 minutes (SD = 19.6; range = 5–128) with significant time differences according to procedures undertaken and the patient's medical condition (P < 0.05, ANOVA). Six lists ran overtime by a mean 28.7 minutes (SD = 30.2; range = 3–85) and 25 lists finished early by a mean 56.4 minutes (SD = 41.2; range = 1–170). Overall, a mean 60 minutes (SD = 42.0; range = 1–184) are ‘wasted’ during every theatre list, with total anaesthetic and operating time accounting for only 71% of the actual session allocation.Conclusions: This study has revealed significant inefficiencies within hospital systems, which may adversely affect productivity.