To address inefficiencies of traditional operating room scheduling, including excessive time, low subspecialty matching accuracy, and inequitable performance compensation, we developed and evaluated an Intelligent Operating Room Scheduling System (IORSS) based on the hospital information system (HIS).
Approach:
Study Design: Conducted a quasi-experimental pre-/post-implementation study comparing manual scheduling (control) and IORSS-assisted scheduling (experimental) to evaluate outcomes including scheduling time, matching accuracy, and satisfaction.
Key Findings:
Scheduling time decreased from 7.0 ± 1.2 to 2.0 ± 0.5 hours (P < 0.01) during the study period.
Subspecialty matching accuracy improved from 78.6% to 94.3% (P < 0.01).
Satisfaction with performance fairness increased from 61.5% to 88.3% (P < 0.05).
Interpretation:
The HIS-based IORSS significantly reduces scheduling time and improves nurse-to-surgical demand matching.
Limitations:
Anesthesia personnel were not included in the study due to separate scheduling systems, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Findings reflect improvements in nursing and OR assignment efficiency but do not capture full OR team coordination.
Conclusion:
The IORSS effectively boosts OR resource utilization.
