OR Setup & Workflow
The equipment only earns if the room can turn it around.
Eighteen articles on operating room build-out: layout, integration, turnover time, capacity and the equipment decisions that follow the room rather than the device.
- 18 OR setup and workflow articles
- Build-out and integration covered
- Turnover and capacity modelled

Room and Integration
Room dimensions, boom positions, imaging integration and storage decide which equipment can be installed and how fast a case can be turned.
Layout and imaging integration
Room dimensions, boom positions, imaging integration and storage decide which equipment can be installed and how fast a case can be turned. Buying the console before confirming the room is the most expensive sequence available.
Lights, tables and ancillaries
Tables, lights and ancillaries are specified around the procedures and the surgeons, and they carry their own service requirements. Treat them as part of the programme rather than as furniture.
Throughput
The gap between cases is where capacity is won or lost.
Turnover time
The gap between cases is where capacity is won or lost. Equipment that is hard to move, clean or set up extends the gap on every single case, which is why turnover belongs in the purchase decision.
Capacity and scheduling
Model the lists per day the room can support with the new equipment, not the lists you hope for. Capacity is the number that justifies the capital, and it is measurable within a month of go-live.
Four things that decide or setup & workflow
Each one is settled before the purchase order.
Room fit confirmed first
Room dimensions, boom positions, imaging integration and storage decide which equipment can be installed and how fast a case can be turned.
Integration specified with the equipment
Model the lists per day the room can support with the new equipment, not the lists you hope for.
Turnover time as a purchase criterion
Room dimensions, boom positions, imaging integration and storage decide which equipment can be installed and how fast a case can be turned.
Capacity measured after go-live
Model the lists per day the room can support with the new equipment, not the lists you hope for.
Where to go next
Adjacent topics in this set. Each one is a hand-written guide to the same depth.
Questions about or setup & workflow
What should be decided before buying OR equipment?
Why does turnover time matter in a purchase decision?
How do I justify an OR equipment purchase?
Are lights and tables part of the same programme?
What is usually forgotten in an OR build-out?
Send the procedure mix
Tell us the procedures, the expected volume and the consumables involved. We will model the cost per case and flag the compatibility questions before the order.