How Much Time Do Surgeons Spend Operating?
Andrade, N. S.
Show abstract
BackgroundAlthough surgeons participate in various clinical activities, performing surgery is their unique specialized function. Despite this, the fundamental metric of time spent operating remains unexplored. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed operating room cases performed by surgeons who worked full-time for a full calendar year in two general hospitals. The operating time (from start to stop of the procedure) was extracted from electronic medical records for all cases from 2021 to 2024. Results263 surgeon-years were analyzed across 14 specialties. Surgeons spent a median of 451 hours operating annually (range 52-1160 hours) and performed a median of 414 cases (49-1381 cases). Annual operating time varied tenfold across specialties, from Cardiothoracic surgery (856 hours) to Podiatry (87 hours). ConclusionSurgeons spend about a quarter of their work time performing their uniquely trained function. The substantial variation within and between specialties suggests opportunities to optimize surgical workforce utilization. Understanding the determinants of operating time and sustainable surgical workload could improve healthcare system efficiency and surgical care delivery.
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