Application Time of Plaster-of-Paris Splint Packs Compared to Bulk Supplies Following Standard Orthopaedic Procedure

• Total splint application time [ Time Frame: Immediately following the operation, beginning at the start of gathering splint supplies and ending when splint application is completed (approximately five total minutes) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Time it takes to apply post-op splint
  
  

• Time to gather supplies [ Time Frame: Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel start to gather supplies and ending when they finish gathering supplies (approximately 1 minute) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Time it takes to gather supplies prior to splint application
  
  
• Time to prepare splint [ Time Frame: Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel finish gathering supplies and ending when the materials are prepared to apply splint (approximately 2 minutes) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Time it takes to prepare splint supplies prior to splint application
  
  
• Time to apply splint [ Time Frame: Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel finish preparing supplies and ending when the splint is applied (approximately 3 minutes) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Time it takes to apply splint
  
  

The most expensive variable in the operating room (OR) is time. At the Faulkner hospital one hour of OR time costs approximately $500, exclusive of supply and personnel costs. Many things contribute to the amount of time a surgical procedure takes. One of these is application of the post surgical immobilization required of almost all orthopedic surgery cases. Custom molded Plaster-of-Paris splints are used for immobilization after the vast majority of orthopedic foot and ankle procedures. They have many advantages including exact fit for each patient, low cost and excellent safety profile. Traditionally these splints are constructed from bulk supplies at the end of surgical cases. The collection, measurement and organization of the component materials require the circulating nurse or surgeon to devote time to these tasks. This necessarily precludes OR staff from performing other tasks in the OR and lengthens the overall case duration. By lengthening the duration of the case more cost is incurred. The total number of cases able to be completed in a single operative day may also be diminished by the aggregate increased case time. Recently, the investigators have started utilizing prepared splint packs containing all components necessary for single plaster-of-Paris splint applications. This alternative to the traditional method of splint application has minimal expense over that incurred with traditional methods. Pilot studies have shown that the use of these splint packs diminish the time of application by 50 percent.