Assistant Nurse Manager Oregon Health and Science University Tigard, Oregon, United States
Disclosure(s):
Taryn A. Tomlinson, RN: No financial relationships to disclose
Description: Optimizing OR Staffing with AI: Implementing iQueue in a High-Volume Ambulatory Surgery Center
In a 15-OR outpatient surgery center at a large academic health system, perioperative leadership sought to address challenges of manual staffing processes, inconsistent OR utilization, and rising staff fatigue. Previously, OR staffing was highly manual and inefficient, requiring significant time to assign nurses based on experience and availability, often leading to last-minute adjustments and operational delays.
The team, including charge nurses, service line coordinators, schedulers, and clinical informatics, partnered with the iQueue vendor to introduce an AI-driven staffing solution. A phased approach was developed to build staff trust, align with operational goals, and enhance patient care.
Prior assessments highlighted frequent underutilization of ORs, uneven staffing across service lines, and delays in first case starts. Staff expressed frustration with inconsistent team assignments and a lack of real-time data for decision-making.
Through iQueue integration, the center introduced a real-time, predictive staffing module with a two-week lookahead forecast. This enabled proactive adjustments to match staffing with surgical demand and supported data-informed assignments at the point of scheduling.
Key
Results:
Operational Efficiency:
Saved 25 hours weekly in staffing processes by reducing manual efforts
Improved turnaround times and average case lengths
Team Consistency:
30% increase in care consistency through optimized, familiar team pairings
Staff Coverage:
30% increase in service line coverage per staff member across departments
Training Progress:
Enhanced visibility into staff training and experience status through integrated tracking
Staff feedback emphasized increased confidence in assignments and improved team cohesion. Charge nurses reported feeling better equipped to make fair and proactive staffing decisions, while service line coordinators appreciated having instant access to comprehensive case histories and experience details to support cross-training and orientation.
The success of this initiative illustrates how perioperative nurses can lead operational innovation by leveraging technology to strengthen workforce resilience, improve efficiency, and support safe, patient-centered care. The integration of AI tools like iQueue showcases the potential for perioperative teams to drive sustainable improvements in high-volume surgical settings.
