Increasing efficiency and staff satisfaction in the central OR

Due to growing demand in cases and with no possibility to extend resources, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) needed to increase the efficiency of its central OR. The UKE had previously worked with a number of consultancy firms; however, their concepts were primarily focused on reducing costs. Pia Koch, Commercial Manager and leader of the UKE transformation project: “This wasn’t our primary starting point. Our question is: How can we enhance our performance with our existing resources and spatial limitations?” 

To address this and improve staff satisfaction, the UKE launched a transformation project and chose to bring in external expertise from Philips.

The Philips consultancy team performed a comprehensive analysis that included the results from previous consultancy engagements and involved all hospital departments that are connected to the OR processes. The consultants interviewed staff from all associated functions and observed processes in action to capture day-to-day information in the OR and the experiences of the various stakeholders. This analysis led to the creation of a detailed process flow poster visualizing the current workflows and process bottlenecks. The process flow poster was the input for a co-creation workshop in which the UKE and Philips consultancy team jointly developed optimization measures.

The co-creation workshop was led by Philips consultants and attended by several UKE stakeholders. Collectively solutions for areas of improvement were developed that included punctuality of the first surgical incision in the morning, surgery preparation times and changeover times in the afternoon. The outcomes of the workshop were the starting point of the implementation phase in which teams consisting of various stakeholders worked on individual sub-projects. The Philips consultants continued to provide support by moderating and structuring project meetings, developing templates and sharing methodology expertise. 

Philips also developed a standardized blueprint that the UKE can use to drive their transformation forward themselves. This included establishing an organizational structure with steering groups and sub-projects where communication and information flows can be controlled in a transparent way. 

The first successes were achieved within just one year: a 77% reduction in central OR downtime and 1400 more surgeries were performed. This led to improved staff satisfaction and increased economic efficiency. The process flow poster remains displayed inside the central OR department – reminding all staff that a dynamic process requires continuous improvement.