CAN OPERATING TIME BE USED AS A METHOD OF PLANNING A PLASTIC SURGEONSOPERATING LIST AND ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Analysis of a consultant plastic surgeons elective theatre list over a 1-year period with a view to estimating case number, case work load a nd operating times indicated that the latter cannot be reliably used a s a performance indicator. While operating time can be of interest in planning the composition of a theatre session, more useful information can be obtained by assessing work load in conjunction with the case n umbers. Various problems in using the BUPA intermediate equivalent val ues for workload are outlined.