Application Time of Plaster-of-Paris Splint Packs Compared to Bulk Supplies Following Standard Orthopaedic Procedure

Mass General Brigham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Post-operative Time Saving Techniques

Treatments: Device: Pre-prepared Splint Pack composed by Medline; Device: Bulk splint supplies

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01602484

2011P002091

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators wish to perform a randomized controlled study to determine how much time and money is saved by orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons through the use of prepared splint packs compared to bulk supplies.

Full description

The most expensive variable in the operating room (OR) is time. At the Faulkner hospital one hour of OR time costs approximately $500, exclusive of supply and personnel costs. Many things contribute to the amount of time a surgical procedure takes. One of these is application of the post surgical immobilization required of almost all orthopedic surgery cases. Custom molded Plaster-of-Paris splints are used for immobilization after the vast majority of orthopedic foot and ankle procedures. They have many advantages including exact fit for each patient, low cost and excellent safety profile. Traditionally these splints are constructed from bulk supplies at the end of surgical cases. The collection, measurement and organization of the component materials require the circulating nurse or surgeon to devote time to these tasks. This necessarily precludes OR staff from performing other tasks in the OR and lengthens the overall case duration. By lengthening the duration of the case more cost is incurred. The total number of cases able to be completed in a single operative day may also be diminished by the aggregate increased case time. Recently, the investigators have started utilizing prepared splint packs containing all components necessary for single plaster-of-Paris splint applications. This alternative to the traditional method of splint application has minimal expense over that incurred with traditional methods. Pilot studies have shown that the use of these splint packs diminish the time of application by 50 percent.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 100 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• patient undergoing post-operative standard Plaster-of-Paris splint application

Exclusion criteria

• amputation of foot or lower limb,
• procedure limited to skin or removal of superficial hardware,
• BMI ≥ 40,
• a medical condition that is contraindication for splint application, or
• an allergy to Plaster-of-Paris

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

50 participants in 2 patient groups

Splint Pack

Experimental group

Description:

Group of post-op patients who have splint applied from prepared Plaster-of-Paris splint pack

Treatment:

Device: Pre-prepared Splint Pack composed by Medline

Bulk Supplies

Active Comparator group

Description:

Group of post-op patients who have splint applied from bulk supplies

Treatment:

Device: Bulk splint supplies