Management of surgical patient pathway: a quantitative analysis

Surgery represents the most complex, distinctive and high-value service for a hospital, generating a substantial part of its economic revenue; consequently, the operating room is configured as a high-cost and high-risk environment and it is therefore appropriate to aim at maximizing the efficiency of the resources connected to it, like staff, equipment and time, with the aim of optimizing the flow of patients. This thesis work aims to evaluate the efficiency of the use of the operating rooms of Block A of the A.O.R.N. "A. Cardarelli"of Naples, breaking down the planned surgical patient pathway into all its phases, with the aim of identifying those that can be carried out more efficiently, tending towards standardization and minimizing the variability of the entire process. The tools used in the analysis are those of Lean-Six Sigma, a managerial strategy that aims to reduce waste and defects and which is increasingly gaining ground in the healthcare as well as industrial sectors.