454 Impact Of COVID-19 Pandemic on Elective Theatre Productivity in Otolaryngology

Aim COVID-19 has had a significant impact on otolaryngology surgery. There are new requirements to prepare patients for theatre however the impact on theatre productivity is unknown. This study aims to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on elective theatre productivity. Method We conducted a retrospective evaluation of elective otolaryngology theatre lists. Ten consecutive theatre lists beginning on the final week of November 2019 and November 2020 were analysed. Dedicated emergency operation lists were excluded. Results There were fewer operating lists per working day in 2020 (0.9) compared to 2019 (2.0) and a higher percentage of operations cancelled (2020: 15.4%, 2019: 8.6%). Theatre lists finished significantly earlier in 2020 than in 2019 (2020 median: 97.5 minutes, 2019 median: 15.5 minutes; p = 0.00018). The percentage of theatre lists finishing over 60 minutes early was substantially greater than the national average of 23% (2020: 75%, 2019: 30%). The median pre-list delay was higher in 2020 than 2019 (2019: 20.5 minutes, 2020: 31.5 minutes; p = 0.14) whilst the median total delay was higher in 2019 compared to 2020 (2019: 20.5 minutes, 2020: 18 minutes; p = 0.21). Both results were not statistically significant. The commonest reason for delay in 2020 were COVID-19 related reasons such as awaiting test results, in 2019 the commonest reason was patient not being ready for theatre such as consent not completed. Conclusions COVID-19 has had a significant impact on theatre productivity and is currently the commonest cause of theatre list delay. The early theatre finishing time suggest that improvements can be made to improve theatre productivity.