Abstract
BACKGROUND: Accurate planning of operating times in surgical clinics is essential. Moreover, high-capacity utilization of operating rooms (ORs) is necessary for economic efficiency. OBJECTIVE: Most planning of operating times is performed by surgeons. Herein, surgeons' estimated times and the objective times for performing surgical procedures were compared to detect sources of error. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis, the durations of 1809 operations using general anesthesia (22 types of surgery) by 31 surgeons (12 specialists and 19 residents) were compared. Comparisons were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U‑tests. RESULTS: The comparison of objective times of surgical action showed significant differences between specialists and residents in 6 of 15 types of surgeries. The post-processing times estimated by specialists deviated from the objective times in 2 out of 22 surgery types, while the post-processing times estimated by residents deviated in 7 of 15 types. Specialists misjudged the incision-to-suture times in 7 of 22 surgery types, and residents misjudged these times in 3 of 15 types. The preparation times estimated by specialists deviated from the objective times in 16 of 22 types of surgeries and in 7 of 15 types estimated by residents. CONCLUSION: A surgeon's routine must be carefully considered in order to estimate operating times. Specialists generally underestimated preparation and post-processing times and overestimated incision-to-suture times, whereas residents underestimated all three. Preparation and post-processing times must be considered in planning and, ideally, determined together with anesthesiologists and surgical assistants.