Associated outcomes of various iterations of the dedicated orthopaedic trauma room: a literature review

Scheduling urgent, orthopaedic trauma cases has long been a challenge for health care institutions. Traditionally, these cases are scheduled for an operating room (OR) slot in the middle of the night, by “bumping” elective cases to later in the day, by adding a case on after-hours, or by delaying the case for several days until an OR becomes available. As a solution to the challenges facing traditional scheduling modules, trauma centers around the country have instituted the use of a dedicated orthopaedic trauma room (DOTR). While there are multiple studies analyzing the effects of DOTRs on various outcomes, there is not a centralized review of these studies. This paper will serve as a review of the various models of the DOTR as well as the effect of the DOTR on after-hours procedures, time to surgery (TTS), duration of surgery (DOS), length of stay (LOS), cost, and surgical complications. An extensive review of the literature was performed through PubMed and Embase. 17 studies were found to meet eligibility criteria. This review suggests that DOTRs have favorable effects on after-hours procedures, cost, and surgical complications. There is variability in the data regarding the effect on TTS, DOS, and LOS.