Quality IndicatorS for improving pAtient care and eFficiEncy in OR

Patient safety is paramount in the medical field to mitigate risks, errors, and harm associated with healthcare delivery. The complexity of treatments and the potential for adverse events such as infections, medication errors, and surgical complications underscore the significance of ensuring safety in hospitals. Implementing measures to enhance patient safety entails establishing a robust safety culture, adopting evidence-based practices, leveraging technology, and promoting continuous quality improvement. Operating theaters, as the most efficient sector within hospitals, should be particularly vigilant to minimize inefficiencies, as they can directly increase patient risks. To effectively monitor and assess the quality of healthcare, well-defined quality indicators are essential. These measurable elements of healthcare performance are selected based on empirical evidence or expert consensus. Accreditation organizations globally, such as the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM), play a crucial role in enhancing healthcare quality by establishing robust systems of checks and balances and managing certification programs for existing healthcare systems.This prospective, observational study will be conducted in the Pre-Anesthesia Clinic and Operation Theaters of ACTREC, TMC, Mumbai. The study’s objective is to evaluate perioperative practices using a comprehensive array of quality indicators and compare them against benchmarks established at both institutional and national levels.

Indicators to be assessed are as follows: Time taken for Assessment of patient in PAC and pain clinic, Percentage of patients who received prophylactic antibiotics within the specified time frame, Percentage of incomplete consent for surgery and anesthesia, Percentage of postponement of surgeries, Percentage of near misses in operation theater, Percentage of unplanned return to OT, Average Time from order of blood to receiving it, Average time from sample sent in rush to receiving blood report, Percentage of Unplanned postoperative ventilation, OT utilisation rate, Anesthesia induction time, Average Operation theatre turnaround time.