Amanda Morris, MD

Abstract

A keystone of operating room (OR) management is proper OR allocation to optimize access, safety, efficiency, and throughput. Access is important to surgeons, and overlapping surgery may increase patient access to surgeons with specialized skill sets and facilitate the training of medical students, residents, and fellows. Overlapping surgery is commonly performed in academic medical centers, although recent public scrutiny has raised debate about its safety, necessitating monitoring. This article introduces a system to monitor overlapping surgery, providing a surgeon-specific Key Performance Indicator, and discusses overlapping surgery as an approach toward OR management goals of efficiency and throughput.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.anclin.2018.01.002

View details for PubMedID 29759280

Abstract

Case cancellations have a negative financial impact due to revenue loss and the potential costs of underutilized time. The goals of this study at a recently opened hospital in the Middle East were to measure the cancellation rates for elective surgical or endoscopic cases and to identify the reasons for cancellation. During the 1-month study period, 170 (22.4%) of the 760 scheduled cases were cancelled. Cultural norms and patient no-shows on the day of surgery accounted for the majority of case cancellations. Understanding local factors on hospital functions may be vital for organizations expanding into new geographic areas.

View details for DOI 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002104

View details for PubMedID 28514326

Abstract

It is known that regular exercise improves both physical and mental health. This study sought to determine the impact of a fitness intervention on the levels of exercise and well-being of medical students.In 2011, the authors conducted a prospective cohort study involving medical students at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Intervention students experienced a 7-week, team-based, fitness competition and recorded exercise data online. Incentives were given to teams reaching an average of 150 minutes per teammate per week, an exercise goal recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Both groups completed baseline and follow-up surveys about physical activity and well-being, using validated scoring methods.A total of 100 students (71 in the intervention group and 29 in the control group) participated fully, recording their exercise behaviors and completing both the pre- and postsurveys. In the intervention group, the percentage of individuals successfully reaching the exercise target of 150 minutes per week varied by week from 30% to 61%. Intervention students showed a significant improvement in their International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores (1669.4 154.9 vs 2013.6 174.6; P = 0.02) and levels of irritability on the subsection of the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale score (2.2 0.1 vs 2.0 0.1, P = 0.03). By contrast, the control group did not show any improvements in any of these measures across the same time period (all P > 0.05).A well-orchestrated student-designed fitness intervention can effectively augment medical students' exercise practices and positively affect well-being.

View details for DOI 10.1097/SMJ.0b013e318273a766

View details for Web of Science ID 000311946500002

View details for PubMedID 23211495