Surgical team familiarity and waste generation in the operating room

Wastage of surgical supplies results from inappropriate anticipation of surgical needs in the operating room and contributes to avoidable healthcare costs. A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of 28,768 elective cases at the University of Chicago Medical Center from 2016 through 2018 was conducted. Attending surgeon-scrub nurse and surgeon-circulating nurse familiarity scores were calculated. Odds of surgical waste generation based on surgeon-scrub nurse and surgeon-circulating nurse familiarity were estimated through multivariate logistic regression modeling. Teams in the third and fourth quartiles of surgeon-scrub familiarity were significantly associated with reduced odds of waste (odds ratios 0.80 [p = 0.003] and 0.83 [p = 0.030], respectively). There was no significant reduction of odds of waste generation as surgeon-circulator familiarity increased. Greater surgeon-scrub familiarity was associated with lower risk of waste generation. Cost savings may be realized through supporting staffing schedules that promote consistency of surgeon-scrub teams. •Degree of experience between providers in the operating room varies substantially.•The effects of increasing operative team familiarity remain largely unstudied.•Greater surgeon-scrub nurse familiarity was associated with lower risk of wastage.•New paradigms of operative team assignment and consistency should be considered.