OR Efficiency & Case Flow Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 OR Efficiency & Case Flow flashcards as text
Which factor is MOST likely to cause cascading schedule delays throughout an OR suite's day?
Answer: An unplanned extended case in the first room of the day
An overrun first case displaces all subsequent cases in that room, creating a ripple effect that can affect multiple ORs sharing staff and equipment.
During a case, the surgeon requests a specimen be sent for frozen section. The scrub tech's role is to:
Answer: Pass the specimen off the sterile field to the circulator using correct labeling and chain-of-custody protocol
The scrub tech passes the specimen off the sterile field to the circulator while maintaining sterility; the circulator then handles labeling, documentation, and transport.
In the context of OR case flow, 'wheels in' time refers to:
Answer: The time the patient enters the OR suite
'Wheels in' is a standardized OR efficiency timestamp marking when the patient is transported into the OR room, used to calculate room setup and anesthesia prep times.
Which behavior by the scrub technician MOST improves intraoperative communication efficiency?
Answer: Proactively announcing the next anticipated instrument or supply need aloud so the team can prepare
Verbalizing anticipated needs allows the circulator to prepare items in advance, reducing the time between request and delivery.
A post-case debrief ('hot debrief') conducted immediately after a procedure primarily serves to:
Answer: Identify efficiency gaps and safety concerns while the case is fresh, enabling rapid process improvement
Immediate post-case debriefs capture real-time observations about what went well and what could improve before details are forgotten, driving continuous quality improvement.
When performing room turnover, the scrub tech should remove the sterile drapes by:
Answer: Rolling them away from themselves toward the patient to contain debris and prevent dispersal of contaminants
Rolling drapes away from oneself toward the patient contains blood, tissue, and sharps within the drape bundle, reducing contamination spread during turnover.
Which resource allocation strategy BEST prevents instrument shortages across back-to-back cases in a busy OR suite?
Answer: Coordinating with SPD to tray flash-sterilize or prioritize sets needed for consecutive same-surgeon cases
Proactive coordination with SPD ensures that sets needed for consecutive cases are prioritized in sterilization queues, preventing delays caused by unavailable instruments.