Surgeons and operating rooms

Underutilized resources

Bibliographic Data

ID11031366
AuthorsA V Gil, Arminda Gil, M T Galarza, Marta Galarza, Rodrigo Guerrero (0000-0002-5634-7535), G Pardo de Vélez, O L Peterson, B L Bloom, BernardS Bloom
Year1983
Volume73
Issue12
Pages1361-1365
Publication date1983-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.73.12.1361
PMID6638228
OpenAlexW1987010428
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited6

A classification of surgical procedures, based on degree of complexity and the need for facilities and personnel, was applied to all 50,782 surgical interventions performed in the Valle del Cauca, Colombia during 1974. Three-fourths of all operations were of low levels of complexity, and most could be performed on an ambulatory basis with immediate discharge after recovery from anesthesia. Mean numbers of operations per year for surgical specialists and other physicians were 119.7 and 18.1, respectively. The 76 existing operating rooms were utilized only 41.6 per cent of the time. The implications of underutilization of personnel and facilities and low productivity of surgeons are discussed

Ambulatory · Environmental health · Medical emergency · Psychological intervention · Surgical procedures · Emergency Medicine · Healthcare cost, quality, practices · Healthcare Policy and Management · Healthcare Systems and Technology · Medicine · Nursing · Surgery