Improving Preoperative Communication and First Case On-Time Starts with the Surgical Flight Plan: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Journal of reconstructive microsurgery OPEN 2022-01, Vol.7 (1), p.e1-e6
• Main Authors: Falola, Reuben A., Rodriguez-Unda, Nelson A., Probe, Robert A., Papaconstantinou, Harry T., Saint-Cyr, Michel H., Altman, Andrew M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: first case on-time start; high reliability organization; Original Article; surgical team communication
• ISSN: 2377-0813; 2377-0821
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742468

Abstract Background  Closed-loop communication is essential for managing a diverse surgical team. When new or unfamiliar members are present, as is common in shift-based perioperative care, challenges to effective communication can arise. Methods  We introduced the Surgical Flight Plan (SFP), a novel communication tool that informs surgical team members on procedural details in advance of surgery, at our tertiary academic center. The tool was made available in the electronic health record prior to surgery. The primary outcome assessed after application of the SFP was “patient-in-room to incision time.” The secondary outcome was “improvement of communication in surgical teams” as assessed by a standardized (10-item) preintervention survey and a follow-up postintervention survey, given 3 months later. Data were gathered using Redcap software and statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4, significance was set at p -value less than 0.05 Results  Thirty-six first-start, operative plastic surgery cases were included for the analysis (20 pre- and 16 postintervention). The average time from patient-in-room to surgical time out were 59.15 and 48.69 minutes pre-/postintervention respectively ( p