Surgery rescheduling using discrete event simulation: A case study

Operating room (OR) rescheduling is the process of adjusting the surgery schedule when the current schedule is subjected to disruptions on the day of surgery. The decision to make a schedule adjustment will impact patient safety, patient satisfaction, hospital costs, as well as surgeon satisfaction. Of particular importance is when, and how frequently, to update the scheduling and tracking systems. These questions and their impact on maintaining schedule accuracy and minimizing room overtime are explored. Discrete event simulation was used to simulate surgical cases in the OR and to test different “right shifting” and case updating policies for their effectiveness. Results and staff experience indicate that ten minutes is the preferred delay in which an update should be made; otherwise staff satisfaction or schedule accuracy will suffer.