title: Qualitative analysis of barriers to efficient operating room turnovers in a tertiary care academic medical center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The operating room (OR) turnover is a critical period in patient care and OR management. Turnover time (TOT) is a traditional quantitative measure of OR efficiency but is lacking when used to describe the TOT process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frontline staff members involved with OR turnover were interviewed regarding turnover duties, barriers to performing these duties, ways to facilitate these duties, and satisfaction with the turnover process. A grounded theory approach was used to identify common themes, which were then tabulated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interviews were completed for 38 frontline staff, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, and OR assistants. We identified the following common themes among barriers to successful OR turnover: communications, patient transport, preoperative preparations, staffing, workflow, and workload.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interview data of OR staff can supplement quantitative efficiency measures and identify areas of opportunity in OR management and patient safety.
authors.forename: Marc T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pimentel
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.forename: Beverly K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Urman
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration*; D061214:Patient Safety; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D017748:Time Management; D014850:Waiting Lists; D016526:Workload