Sažetak
Operating rooms (OR) in hospitals represent big investments and must be utilized efficiently. Inaccurate scheduling of OR resources often results in delays of surgery or cancellations of procedures. These are costly to the patient, surgical team and hospital. Existing literatures in the OR management lack consensus on the method of evaluating management decisions from the perspectives of personnel or those affected by management decision-making processes. Eight key informant interviews were conducted. Also, 50 Operating Theatre Personnel (OTP) i.e. Surgeons, OR Nurses, Anaesthetists, and Executive Officers in the Nigeria’s premier University Teaching Hospital were asked to complete a survey questionnaire concerning operating theatre resource allocation in the hospital. Five close-ended and 10 open-ended questions were used. (For example, how are the decisions to allocate OR resources in this hospital made?) Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were done. The theoretical framework, accountability for reasonableness was applied. Forty-eight percent of the participants were ignorant of the framework guiding OR resource allocation. 54% of the respondents admitted the current mechanism for publicizing management decisions on OR resource allocation is ineffective. Another 50% of the respondents knew little about the mode of appealing against unfavourable allocation decisions. Participants’ open ended responses revealed that hospital executives and a few consultant surgeons control the allocation of OR resources, with little recourse to OR personnel’s concerns. If operating theatre stake holders are excluded in the planning, allocation and evaluation of OR resources, the efficiency required in surgical services would never be realized irrespective of the dexterity of the surgical team.
Keywords: Operating Room, theatre personnel, resource allocation, accountability for reasonableness.
Résumé
Les blocs opératoires dans les hôpitaux représentent un grand investissement et doivent être utilisées judicieusement. Une mauvaise organisation des ressources du bloc opératoire résulte souvent à un retard de l’opération ou à l’annulation des procédures. Ceci est couteux pour le patient, l’équipe chirurgicale et l’hôpital. La littérature existant sur la gestion des blocs opératoires manque de consensus sur la méthode évaluant la gestion des décisions a partir de la perspective du personnel ou ceux affectes par le processus de gestion des prises de décision. Huit interviews sources d’information étaient conduites. Aussi, 50 personnels de bloc opératoire ie les chirurgiens, les infirmiers du bloc opératoire, les anesthésistes et les officiers exécutifs dans le premier centre hospitalier universitaire du Nigeria complétaient un questionnaire de recherche concernant l’allocation des ressources du bloc opératoire dans l’hôpital. Cinq questions fermées et dix questions ouvertes étaient utilisées (par exemple, comment sont prise les décisions d’allouer les ressources du bloc opératoire dans cet hôpital ?) une analyse thématique et des statistiques descriptive étaient faite. Quarante huit pour cent des participants étaient ignorant des modalités de guide or de l’allocation des ressources. 54% des participants n’admis que les mécanismes courant pour la publicité des décisions des soins de ménagement ou pour une allocation ineffective des ressources. 50% des participants connaissaient très peu a propos de la mode de faire une requête contre une décision d’allocation non favorable. Les réponses ouverte des participants dévoilaient que les exécutifs de l’hôpital et quelques chirurgiens consultants contrôlaient les ressources ou allocation.si les contributeurs des salles d’opération sont exclu dans la planification, l’allocation et l’évaluation de ou des ressources, les services chirurgicaux ne pourrions jamais réaliser leur dextérité.
Correspondence: Dr. Prisca Olabisi Adejumo, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. E-mail: bisiandbayo@yahoo.com
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