Modern OT Scheduling: Tackling Surgery Cancellations

Session Summary

Operation Theatres (OT) are the highest revenue-generating zones in tertiary care hospitals, but also the most expensive to run. Last-minute surgery cancellations due to pending clinical clearances, missing medical consumables, or surgeon conflicts represent thousands of rupees in lost operational margin daily.

This panel discussion focused on clinical solutions to maximize OT utilization. Our speakers explored how automating pre-operative clearances, checking inventory stocks for specialized implants ahead of surgery day, and optimizing anesthesia checklists can cut surgery cancellation rates by up to 30%.

Key Takeaways

• Pre-Op Integration: Linking anesthesia logs directly to scheduling boards so that a surgery slot is flagged as 'Clear' only when PAC guidelines are met.
• Consumables Pre-checks: Triggering automatic alerts to the OT inventory store 24 hours in advance if implants or custom sutures are missing for an upcoming procedure.
• Surgeon & Staff Conflict Alerts: Preventing scheduling overlaps for senior consultants and specialist scrub nurses across multiple rooms.
• Real-time Case Tracking: Digital timeline dashboards monitoring patient transit from Pre-Op, Intra-Op, to Post-Op Recovery rooms.

Session Speaker