Evaluation of OR Staffing and Postoperative Patient Outcomes

The purpose of this cross-sectional cohort study was to evaluate the relationship between the number of OR personnel involved in a surgery and subsequent postoperative outcomes. We collected data from a sample of general surgery patients (N = 911) by using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project processes. Data obtained from electronic medical records about the number of different personnel involved in the surgeries were used to create total OR staffing and nurse staffing variables for each surgery. Two associations approached statistical significance after we controlled for significant risk factors, including OR duration. A higher number of total nursing personnel involved in a surgical procedure was associated with any postoperative complication at the P = .095 level. A higher number of total OR personnel was associated with surgical site infections at the P = .057 level. We recommend further evaluation of these measures in multiple hospital settings.