57 - Exploration on the Practice of Increasing Surgical Volume in 39 ORs with IoT Systems

Description: Team Introduction
The research team includes medical staff from Beijing Jishuitan Hospital's Surgical Center (affiliated to Capital Medical University), IT Department technicians, and IoT R&D professionals. They collaborate on operational optimization and tech implementation during the new surgical center's relocation, aiming to resolve site transition efficiency issues via IoT.

Preparation and Planning
As China's healthcare shifts from "accessible care" to "high-quality care," demand for quality surgeries increasingly conflicts with limited resources. The hospital's Surgical Center faces relocation challenges: managing site conversion, staff adaptation, equipment debugging, while maintaining efficient surgeries and growing volume. To address this, the team uses IoT technology, centered on a personnel/equipment positioning system. Using Bluetooth and Bluetooth AoA (with tags for patients/equipment), it enables precise tracking and efficiency gains.

This aligns with AORN Guidelines, which emphasize health information technology (HIT) to boost workflow efficiency, echoing recommendations like using electronic health records (1.1) and backup-enabled electronic documentation platforms (1.5)-guidelines highlighting standardized, tech-driven processes for perioperative efficiency.

Assessment
Key efficiency factors during relocation were evaluated: on-time start rate, OR occupancy, patient transport efficiency, anesthesia recovery duration, and overall OR utilization. These indicators reflect resource use and process smoothness, guiding subsequent optimizations.

Implementation
Based on assessments, IoT-enabled optimizations included:
1. Real-time tracking of personnel/equipment with proactive scheduling to improve on-time starts;
2. Accurate OR occupancy records for data-driven resource allocation;
3. Monitoring logistics transport time to shorten surgical gaps;
4. Real-time anesthesia recovery stats to standardize processes;
5. Analyzing individual OR usage to boost overall utilization.

Outcome
Post-implementation results (April 2025): 96.9% on-time start rate (25.9% early), 25.12-minute average logistics turnover, 36.7-minute anesthesia recovery, 97% OR utilization. The hospital maintained and grew surgical volume during relocation, validating IoT's role in efficient resource use.

Implications for Perioperative Nursing
IoT, via precise positioning and data-driven management, optimizes perioperative workflows and resource allocation, supporting nursing efficiency. Tech use must align with clinical needs, shifting nursing from experience-based to precision-oriented practices, ultimately delivering patient-centered quality care.