ABSTRACT
Introduction: Operating theatres and surgical resource consumption comprise a significant proportion of all healthcare costs. Inefficiencies in theatre lists remain an important focus for cost management. During COVID-19 pandemic, The number of patients On theatre waiting lists has surged. Hence there is a pressing need to utilise already limited theatre time and fraught resources with innovative methods. In this systematic review we consider The Golden Patient Initiative (GPI), in which The first patient On The operating list is pre-assessed The day prior to surgery, and we aimed to assess its overall efficacy. Method(s): A literature search using four databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and The Cochrane library identified all clinical research concerning The GPI. Two independent authors screened articles against eligibility criteria, using a process adapted from PRISMA guidelines. Data extracted included outcomes measured, follow-uP period and study design. The result displayed significant heterogeneity;therefore a narrative review was conducted. Result(s): 13 of 73 eligible articles were included for analysis. Outcomes included delay in theatre start time, number of surgical case cancellations and changes to total case numbers. Across The studies, a 19-30 minute improvement of theatre start time was reported (P<0.05), as was a statistically significant decrease in case cancellations. Conclusion(s): Our analysis gives encouraging conclusions for theatre efficiency with The GPI, a low cost solution which can easily be implemented to helP improve patient safety lead to cost savings. However, at present it is largely implemented amongst local trusts, hence larger multicentre studies are required to provide conclusive evidence. Take-home message: Our analysis gives encouraging conclusions for greater theatre efficiency with The GPI, a low cost solution which can easily be implementedtohelP improve patient safety leadto cost savings.