Alcon’s comprehensive surgery packs improve eye surgery efficiencies in hospitals
Eye surgery wait times were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ontario alone there is an estimated backlog of over 114,000 eye surgeries, which could take years to clear.
Before a cataract procedure can be performed, each item required for surgery must be ordered, received, stored, and brought to the operating room storage space. The circulating nurse pulls each required item from inventory, and then unwraps each element for the scrub nurse prior to every surgery. Each step has a hidden cost of labour hours. Reducing this preparation time can increase the number of surgeries completed.
In a recent study, Alcon evaluated the economic impact of switching from a generic surgical kit, which is assembled by a nurse before each surgery from multiple sources, to a comprehensive surgical pack, where proprietary and non-proprietary items from syringes to surgical handpiece tips are sent to hospitals on pre-assembled and optimally arranged on individually customized trays (Custom Pak®). Alcon found making this switch in cataract and vitreoretinal surgeries in all 2,500 cataract procedures at a community hospital saves 287 hours, allowing for an additional 196 potential procedures. Switching to comprehensive packs in 1,000 retina cases at the same hospital allows for 127 additional procedures.
Applied across Ontario, this customized approach for surgeons would reduce hidden costs by $736,622, make room for 3,916 additional eye surgeries and reduce wait times for patients.
Using comprehensive packs improves efficiency in cataract and retina surgery saving substantial time and cost in Canadian hospitals, potentially allowing more patients to have these procedures, and reducing wait times.
For more information: Alcon.ca