Turnover time

The turnover refers to the amount of time from taking that patient to PACU, giving report, seeing the next patient, and returning to the room to continue opening. Basically the wheels out to wheels in.

This is for the circulator.

While the circulator is doing that the scrub tech and the orderlies are to take the trash out and clean the room.

It is not time to disappear while the others do the work.

I am thinking this needs to be my dissertation topic.

How to get the most efficient turnover time possible.

On evenings our turnover times were 10 minutes.

And we got asked a lot how that was possible.

1. Don’t disappear. A quick trip to the bathroom is one thing, having a full meal is another
2. Know that there isn’t anyone available to help, it’s all on you, baby. There are no orderlies at evening/night
3. Toward the end of the case, start preparing the room to be turned over. Pull the trash bags, pull and put solidifier in the irrigation fluid and pull the canisters, pull the irrigation bag down when the field is done with it, dispose of it, make sure there is nothing on the floor, push the towers back after unhooking all the equipment
4. end of list

Basically, prepare the room to be cleaned by you.

I’m not sure which is more important.

The knowledge that it is all the circulator/scrub tech combo to clean the room because there is literally no one else.

Or

Preparing the room for turnover.

Definitely preparing the room for turnover.

A little preventative tidying goes a long way.

Yelling at the surgeons who deliberately drop suture ends also is useful.

At night our turnover times are about the same as they were on the evening shift.

Oh, I almost forgot the second most important thing.

Have a discussion with the team in the room: surgeon, scrub tech, yourself, and the CRNA and lay out how this is going.

After all, the team wants to be done with the case as much as you do. If not more.

Preparation is not only half the battle, to borrow and mangle the GI Joe quote, it is the only thing that is going to get the good turnover times.