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Setting a quality indicator for actual surgery time relative to scheduled surgery time in the context of increasing robotic-assisted thoracic surgery cases

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Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to demonstrate to the involved departments the goal of increasing the number of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) cases/surgeons and acceptable surgery times.

Methods

This retrospective study included 1572 patients who underwent thoracic surgery from fiscal year (FY) 2018 to FY 2021. The factors evaluated included the number of surgery cases and actual and scheduled surgery times.

Results

The total number of RATS and total surgery cases increased after the quality indicator (QI) setting (n = 363, 360, 417, and 432 in FY 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively). In FY 2020, 93.3% of the QI target was achieved, while in FY 2021, 88% was achieved. The number of RATS lobectomy/segmentectomy increased as the FY progressed (n = 31, 47, 58, and 116 in FY 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively). The mean surgical time by RATS starters decreased in FY 2020 and 2021 (171.4 min.; 74 cases; seven RATS starters) compared with those in FY 2018 and 2019 (198.0 min.; 57 cases; six RATS starters) (P = 0.002).

Conclusions

The goal of increasing the number of surgery cases and RATS cases/surgeons within the given framework was achieved by setting the QI.

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Data availability

Data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, N.O., upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Miku Hattori for deriving data from the electronic medical record system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-Ku, Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan

    Naoki Ozeki, Harushi Ueno, Yuka Kadomatsu, Taketo Kato, Shota Nakamura, Koichi Fukumoto, Takayuki Fukui & Toyofumi Fengshi Chen-Yoshikawa

  2. Department of Nursing, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan

    Jun Saeki

  3. Division of Chest Surgery, Department of Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan

    Takayuki Fukui

Authors
  1. Naoki Ozeki
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  2. Harushi Ueno
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  3. Jun Saeki
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  4. Yuka Kadomatsu
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  5. Taketo Kato
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  6. Shota Nakamura
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  7. Koichi Fukumoto
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  8. Takayuki Fukui
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  9. Toyofumi Fengshi Chen-Yoshikawa
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Correspondence to Naoki Ozeki.

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Ozeki, N., Ueno, H., Saeki, J. et al. Setting a quality indicator for actual surgery time relative to scheduled surgery time in the context of increasing robotic-assisted thoracic surgery cases. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 71, 396–402 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-022-01903-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-022-01903-6

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