title: An assessment of the quality indicators of operative and non-operative times in a public university hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the operative time indicators in a public university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using data from operating room database. The sample was obtained from January 2011 to January 2012. The operations performed in sequence in the same operating room, between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm, elective or emergency, were included. The procedures with incomplete data in the system were excluded, as well as the operations performed after 5:00 pm or on weekends or holidays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We measured the operative and non-operative time of 8,420 operations. The operative time (mean and standard deviation) of anesthesias and operations were 177.6 ± 110 and 129.8 ± 97.1 minutes, respectively. The total time of the patient in operative room (mean and standard deviation) was 196.8 ± 113.2. The non-operative time, e.g., between the arrival of the patient and the onset of anesthesia was 14.3 ± 17.3 minutes. The time to set the next patient in operating room was 119.8 ± 79.6 minutes. Our total non-operative time was 155 minutes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delays frequently occurred in our operating room and had a major effect on patient flow and resource utilization. The non-operative time was longer than the operative time. It is possible to increase the operating room capacity by management and training of the professionals involved. The indicators provided a tool to improve operating room efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Altair da Silva
authors.initials: Ada S
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Eduardo Villaça
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Leão
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maykon Anderson Pires de
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Novais
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zucchi
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000592:standards; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D061646:Operative Time; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017748:Time Management / Q000458:organization & administration*