What is the goal of performance improvement in surgical processes?

• A. To increase the number of personnel
• B. To decrease the cost of surgical materials
• C. To improve efficiency and effectiveness
• D. To reduce the duration of surgical procedures

Answer: (C)

The goal of performance improvement in surgical processes centers on enhancing both efficiency and effectiveness. This involves optimizing the surgical workflow, ensuring that the processes involved are as streamlined as possible, which can lead to better patient outcomes, reduced errors, and improved use of resources. By focusing on what adds value to the surgical process, healthcare facilities can identify areas for improvement, implement best practices, and ultimately enhance the overall quality of care provided to patients.

While increasing personnel or decreasing costs may be beneficial in some contexts, they do not directly align with the primary focus of performance improvement, which is to refine how surgeries are performed. Reducing the duration of surgical procedures is often a component of improving efficiency, but it does not encompass the broader scope of enhancing effectiveness, which includes the quality of the surgical outcome and patient safety. Therefore, emphasizing both aspects—efficiency and effectiveness—captures the true objective of performance improvement in surgical environments.