Minimal Custom Pack Design and Wide-Awake Hand Surgery: Reducing Waste and Spending in the Orthopedic Operating Room.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The US health care sector has substantial financial and environmental footprints. As literature continues to study the differences between wide-awake hand surgery (WAHS) and the more traditional hand surgery with sedation & local anesthesia, we sought to explore the opportunities to enhance the sustainability of WAHS through analysis of the respective costs and waste generation of the 2 techniques. METHODS:We created a "minimal" custom pack of disposable surgical supplies expressly for small hand surgery procedures and then measured the waste from 178 small hand surgeries performed using either the "minimal pack" or the "standard pack," depending on physician pack choice. Patients were also asked to complete a postoperative survey on their experience. Data were analyzed using 1-

SUBMITTER: Thiel CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6436127 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature