Operation theater

Operation theater (OT) is the heart of a hospital requiring considerable human resources and expenditure from hospital budget. However, OTs are underutilized and lie idle at times. Many patients who are called for operation from waiting list are not operated upon ^{1) 2)}.

A significant amount of work needs to be undertaken to prepare the patient for a surgical procedure. This includes the patient notes being written on the day of admission, the consultant taking the time to review the notes, OT staff ensuring the correct surgical instruments are available, ward staff preparing the ward for the patient, secretarial staff preparing theatre lists, the patient preparing self for admission to hospital, and preparations for postoperative care. Last minute cancellations result in inefficient use of resources, not in the interests of the patient or the hospital, and result in lost capacity ³⁾.