Thinking Outside the Operating Room: Guidance on Designing a Safe and Effective Minor Procedure Room

The minor procedure room (MPR) offers numerous advantages over the traditional operating room for performing many common hand surgeries. MPRs require less space, are subject to more practical architectural design standards, and facilitate more judicious use of disposable materials and unnecessary instruments than common hand surgeries. MPRs reduce costs to the system and patient at every step of the surgical workflow and improve efficiency by removing preoperative and postoperative monitoring requirements. Hand surgeons sometimes face resistance when attempting surgery in MPRs, often because of confusion about their design characteristics and capabilities. This article aims to clarify many of the major requirements for establishing an MPR and provide a guide to hand surgeons for performing safe, efficient surgery outside the operating room.