Shaping the operating room and perioperative systems of the future: innovating for improved competitiveness.
OBJECTIVE
To review the current state of anesthesiology for operative and invasive procedures, with an eye toward possible future states.


RESULTS
Anesthesiology is at once a mature specialty and in a crisis--requiring breakthrough to move forward. The cost of care now approaches reimbursement, and outcomes as commonly measured approach perfection. Thus, the cost of further improvements seems ready to topple the field, just as the specialty is realizing that seemingly innocuous anesthetic choices have long-term consequences, and better practice is required.


CONCLUSIONS
Anesthesiologists must create more headroom between costs and revenues in order to sustain the academic vigor and creativity required to create better clinical practice. We outline three areas in which technological and organizational innovation in anesthesiology can improve competitiveness and become a driving force in collaborative efforts to develop the operating rooms and perioperative systems of the future: increasing the profitability of operating rooms; increasing the efficiency of anesthesia; and technological and organizational innovation to foster improved patient flow, communication, coordination, and organizational learning.
Seim
Andreas R
AR
Department of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Sandberg
Warren S
WS
D000758:Anesthesia / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D004465:Economic Competition / Q000639:trends*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*