Surgery &
OT Ecosystem
The Operation Theatre (OT) module manages the entire surgical journey—from booking a surgery slot and assigning the surgical team, to tracking the procedure in real-time, managing theatre sterility, and coordinating post-operative recovery.
What is OT Management?
OT Management handles everything related to surgical procedures. It manages the OT schedule (which surgery happens in which theatre at what time), the surgical team (surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses), the theatre status (available, in use, being cleaned, under maintenance), and the procedure log (a record of what happened during the surgery).
Think of it as an air traffic control system for surgeries—coordinating multiple moving parts (patients, surgeons, equipment, rooms) to ensure operations happen safely, on time, and with full documentation.
Why Does It Exist?
Operating theatres are the most expensive and resource-intensive part of a hospital. Without proper management:
- → Theatre conflicts — Two surgeons might be booked into the same room at the same time
- → Equipment conflicts — Critical tools might be booked for two surgeries simultaneously
- → Sterility risks — Without tracking, a theatre might be used before cleaning is complete
- → Lost documentation — Surgical logs are critical for legal and clinical reasons
- → Wasted OT time — Idle theatres mean lost revenue and delayed patient care
How a Surgery is Managed
Surgery Booking
A surgeon schedules a procedure. They specify the patient, procedure type, required OT room, preferred date/time, estimated duration, and required team members (assistant surgeon, anesthesiologist, scrub nurse). The system checks for room and personnel availability.
Pre-Op Preparation
Before surgery, the team verifies: patient identity and consent, pre-operative vitals, allergy checks, and equipment availability. The OT room is confirmed sterile. The patient is prepared and moved to the pre-op area.
Procedure Execution
During surgery, the team records milestones: incision time, procedure start, key findings, specimens collected, and closure time. The anesthesiologist records vitals throughout. Any unexpected events are logged.
Post-Op & Recovery
After surgery, the patient moves to the recovery room. The OT room is marked as "Dirty" and housekeeping is notified for cleaning. The surgeon writes post-operative instructions. The patient's recovery is monitored until they are stable enough to go to the ward.
Every Feature Explained
OT Scheduling
Book surgeries into specific OT rooms with time slots.
Prevents double-booking and ensures efficient use of expensive theatre time.
Each OT room has a configurable schedule. Bookings show the patient, surgeon, procedure, and estimated duration. Emergency surgeries can preempt scheduled ones.
Room Status Tracking
Each OT room has a real-time status: Available, In Use, Cleaning, Maintenance.
Staff always know which rooms are ready for surgery without physically checking.
Status changes are triggered by events: surgery starts (→ In Use), surgery ends (→ Cleaning), cleaning confirmed (→ Available).
Surgical Team Management
Assign specific personnel to each surgery.
Ensures the right skilled team is available for each procedure.
The system checks staff schedules and prevents assigning the same person to two overlapping surgeries.
Procedure Logging
Record every detail of the surgery in a structured log.
Creates a permanent medicolegal record and enables post-operative review.
Structured fields track incision/closure times, findings, complications, specimens, and counts (sponges, needles).
Sterility Protocol
Track theatre cleaning and sterility status between surgeries.
Prevents surgical site infections by ensuring proper cleaning between procedures.
After each surgery, the theatre is marked "Dirty." Housekeeping confirms cleaning, then a sterility check is done before the room returns to "Available."
Surgical
Governance
OT scheduling is governed by clinical priority and staff availability. Any modification requires second-opinion authorization and creates an immutable audit trail.
Technical Architecture
| Field | Type | Institutional Role |
|---|---|---|
| booking_ref | Varchar(16) | Unique procedure session identifier. |
| ot_room_id | UUID | Mapping to physical theatre infrastructure. |
| surgeon_lead | UUID | Primary surgeon institutional mapping. |
| procedure_type | Enum | Major, Minor, Emergency, Minimal-Invasive. |
Note: Sensitive fields use AES-256 field-level encryption where applicable.
Governance & Power
ot:scheduleot:viewot:completeInstitutional Logic
Sterility Timer
OT rooms auto-flag as 'Dirty' post-procedure. Housekeeping must issue a digital sterility certificate before the next booking.
Roster Logic
A surgeon cannot be scheduled for two concurrent operations across different OT rooms.
Equipment Lock
Surgical assets (lasers, robots, C-arms) are locked to the OT session and cannot be requisitioned elsewhere while in use.
Audit Persistence: 100% of procedure events are logged for post-op review.