Application Time of Plaster-of-Paris Splint Packs Compared to Bulk Supplies Following Standard Orthopaedic Procedure

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Post-operative Time Saving Techniques

Interventions: Device: Pre-prepared Splint Pack composed by Medline
Device: Bulk splint supplies

Registration Number: NCT01602484

Lead Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital

Brief Summary: The investigators wish to perform a randomized controlled study to determine how much time and money is saved by orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons through the use of prepared splint packs compared to bulk supplies.

Detailed Description: The most expensive variable in the operating room (OR) is time. At the Faulkner hospital one hour of OR time costs approximately $500, exclusive of supply and personnel costs. Many things contribute to the amount of time a surgical procedure takes. One of these is application of the post surgical immobilization required of almost all orthopedic surgery cases. Custom molded Plaster-of-Paris splints are used for immobilization after the vast majority of orthopedic foot and ankle procedures. They have many advantages including exact fit for each patient, low cost and excellent safety profile. Traditionally these splints are constructed from bulk supplies at the end of surgical cases. The collection, measurement and organization of the component materials require the circulating nurse or surgeon to devote time to these tasks. This necessarily precludes OR staff from performing other tasks in the OR and lengthens the overall case duration. By lengthening the duration of the case more cost is incurred. The total number of cases able to be completed in a single operative day may also be diminished by the aggregate increased case time. Recently, the investigators have started utilizing prepared splint packs containing all components necessary for single plaster-of-Paris splint applications. This alternative to the traditional method of splint application has minimal expense over that incurred with traditional methods. Pilot studies have shown that the use of these splint packs diminish the time of application by 50 percent.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

patient undergoing post-operative standard Plaster-of-Paris splint application

Exclusion Criteria

amputation of foot or lower limb,
procedure limited to skin or removal of superficial hardware,
BMI ≥ 40,
a medical condition that is contraindication for splint application, or
an allergy to Plaster-of-Paris

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Splint Pack	Pre-prepared Splint Pack composed by Medline	Group of post-op patients who have splint applied from prepared Plaster-of-Paris splint pack
Bulk Supplies	Bulk splint supplies	Group of post-op patients who have splint applied from bulk supplies

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Total Splint Application Time	Immediately following the operation, beginning at the start of gathering splint supplies and ending when splint application is completed (approximately five total minutes)	Time it takes to apply post-op splint

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Time to Apply Splint	Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel finish preparing supplies and ending when the splint is applied (approximately 3 minutes)	Time it takes to apply splint
Time to Prepare Splint	Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel finish gathering supplies and ending when the materials are prepared to apply splint (approximately 2 minutes)	Time it takes to prepare splint supplies prior to splint application
Time to Gather Supplies	Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel start to gather supplies and ending when they finish gathering supplies (approximately 1 minute)	Time it takes to gather supplies prior to splint application