The operation theatre complex of a hospital represents an area of considerable expenditure in a hospital budget and requires maximal utilization to ensure optimum cost benefit. Operation room utilization analysis is essential to assess the existing workload as well as to optimize facility functioning and patient scheduling for surgical operations. It also aids in allocating reserve time for emergency operations, asepsis measures and procedures and provides decision making information for augmentation or downsizing of the facility. The operation time utilization varies in different healthcare settings. Optimum utilization of the OT time has always been a priority area for hospital administrators.1 The present study revealed that the utilization though satisfactory could be further maximized.
The OT utilization is very complex. There exist long waiting lists in every surgical discipline leading to dissatisfaction and discontentment among patients as well as doctors. Even with the existing bed strength and number of OTs, one way of solving this problem increasing manpower and supplies. Restructuring the reorganization of O.T. personnel should be done so that adequate number of staff is available in each shift. Also, the policy on providing incentives can be tried on experimental basis for a short period to test its feasibility.