Dedicated Trauma Operating Rooms in Hand Surgery: A North American Survey of Access, Impact, and Opportunities for System-Level Improvement.
- 1Division of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
- 2Hand Program, Schroeder Arthritis Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Abstract
Background
Dedicated trauma operating rooms (DTORs) have improved surgical efficiency and outcomes in general and orthopedic surgery, yet their adoption and impact in hand surgery remain unclear. This study aimed to assess access to DTORs among hand surgeons and evaluate their observed impacts among those with access and perceived impacts among those without access on operating room efficiency, patient outcomes, surgeon wellness, and resident education.Methods
American Association for Hand Surgery members (N = 1453) and Canadian Society for Surgery of the Hand members (N = 415) were surveyed. The survey covered practice characteristics, DTOR availability, and perceived or actual impact on operating room efficiency, patient outcomes, surgeon wellness, and resident education. Quantitative responses were analyzed descriptively, and open-text responses underwent qualitative synthesis.Results
Of the 90 respondents, most practiced in the United States (79%) and had an academic practice (70%). Only 12% reported access to a DTOR for hand surgery, N = 4/70 in the United States, N = 6/16 in Canada, and N = 1/3 in another country. Among those with access, all reported a positive impact on clinical practice, and most perceived improvements in scheduling conflicts, after-hours cases, and patient outcomes. Similar results were found among those without access (88%). Free-text responses emphasized the need for adequate staffing, centralized scheduling, flexible models, and regional anesthesia support to optimize DTOR utilization.Conclusions
Access to DTORs in hand surgery is limited, yet both observed and perceived impacts suggest important benefits for clinical efficiency, patient outcomes, and provider wellness.
Related
- Standardizing Rectal Suction Biopsy Preparation With a Dedicated Equipment Box: A Quality Improvement Project.
- Transition from paediatric to adult congenital heart disease care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: current practices and opportunities for improvement
- The Recovery Room Is Not Needed Following Hand Surgery With Local Anesthesia in the Outpatient Operating Room: A Prospective Study
- Personalized genomic landscape of prostate cancer in African American men reveals novel drivers and therapeutic opportunities
- Challenges and opportunities for strengthening South American responses to insecticide resistance in disease vectors: Lessons from the WINSA workshop in Bogotá, Colombia
BibTeX
@article{wong2026dedicated,
title = {{Dedicated Trauma Operating Rooms in Hand Surgery: A North American Survey of Access, Impact, and Opportunities for System-Level Improvement.}},
author = {Chloe R Wong and Heather L Baltzer},
journal = {Hand (New York, N.Y.)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1177/15589447261487628},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42850910},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dedicated Trauma Operating Rooms in Hand Surgery: A North American Survey of Access, Impact, and Opportunities for System-Level Improvement.
AU - Chloe R Wong
AU - Heather L Baltzer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Hand (New York, N.Y.)
DO - 10.1177/15589447261487628
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42850910
AB - Background Dedicated trauma operating rooms (DTORs) have improved surgical efficiency and outcomes in general and orthopedic surgery, yet their adoption and impact in hand surgery remain unclear. This study aimed to assess access to DTORs among hand surgeons and evaluate their observed impacts among those with access and perceived impacts among those without access on operating room efficiency, patient outcomes, surgeon wellness, and resident education.Methods American Association for Hand Surgery members (N = 1453) and Canadian Society for Surgery of the Hand members (N = 415) were surveyed. The survey covered practice characteristics, DTOR availability, and perceived or actual impact on operating room efficiency, patient outcomes, surgeon wellness, and resident education. Quantitative responses were analyzed descriptively, and open-text responses underwent qualitative synthesis.Results Of the 90 respondents, most practiced in the United States (79%) and had an academic practice (70%). Only 12% reported access to a DTOR for hand surgery, N = 4/70 in the United States, N = 6/16 in Canada, and N = 1/3 in another country. Among those with access, all reported a positive impact on clinical practice, and most perceived improvements in scheduling conflicts, after-hours cases, and patient outcomes. Similar results were found among those without access (88%). Free-text responses emphasized the need for adequate staffing, centralized scheduling, flexible models, and regional anesthesia support to optimize DTOR utilization.Conclusions Access to DTORs in hand surgery is limited, yet both observed and perceived impacts suggest important benefits for clinical efficiency, patient outcomes, and provider wellness.
SN - 1558-9447
SN - 1558-9455
ER -