title: [Optimization and improvement of surgical indicators in the urology department of a regional hospital of the ministry of health of the Junta de Andalucía].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To improve the rates of surgical activity and average waiting times for surgery, and to optimize the number of surgical indications in the Urology Department of a Regional Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A study and analysis of the surgical activity and different indexes in 2014 was performed comparing the first half of the year and the second half after implementation of improvement measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  operating room occupancy rate, average hospital stay, cancellations, surgical complexity, average number of surgeries per operative room, average global waiting time and waiting time by 120 and 180 days guarantee decrees following the Junta de Andalucía standards.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the first half of 2014, in the second half the operating room occupancy rate increased from 79% to 85%, the average stay decreased from 6 to 3 days, and a decrease in cancellations from 9% to 6% was observed. Moreover, a decrease in the mean waiting times was observed for surgeries subject to both the 120 days and 180 days guarantee decree and a decrease in the number of surgical indications in urology through the implementation of protocols based on clinical practice guidelines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the limitations of the study, and being a small Department in a district hospital, we observed that optimization of resources, implementation of protocols, and clinical pathways can improve and optimize different indicators of surgical activity.
authors.affiliation: Service of Urology. UGC Urología Intercentros. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Arrabal-Polo
authors.affiliation: Service of Urology. UGC Urología Intercentros. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: María del Carmen
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Cano-García
authors.affiliation: Service Administration Surgical Waiting-list. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.affiliation: Unit of Information systems and Communication. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Service Administration Surgical Waiting-list. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Egea
authors.affiliation: UGC Surgical block. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parra Oller
authors.affiliation: UGC Surgical block. Hospital Comarcal La Inmaculada. Huércal-Overa. Almería. Spain.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pérez
mesh_terms: D006748:Hospital Departments; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D013030:Spain; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014572:Urology; D014850:Waiting Lists