Optimizing second shift OR staffing

In surgical suites when ORs sometimes run late, nurse anesthetists or perioperative nurses may be scheduled to work a second shift to cover procedures. Nurse anesthetists' OR workload in the afternoons can differ from that of perioperative nurses. At the end of long procedures, times to transport and stabilize patients can be considerable. This article shows that optimal second-shift OR staffing is the same for nurse anesthetists and perioperative nurses when assessed using anesthesia billing data and OR information systems data respectively. Managers do not need hospital information systems staff members to provide data from both anesthesia billing and OR information systems to make second-shift staffing decisions. One or the other is adequate. AORN J 77 (April 2003) 825-830.