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

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

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

Conditions
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Post-operative Time Saving Techniques

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Pre-prepared Splint Pack composed by Medline
* Device: Bulk splint supplies


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 100 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Splint Pack<br>Group of post-op patients who have splint applied from prepared Plaster-of-Paris splint pack | Device: Pre-prepared Splint Pack composed by Medline<br>* Applying splint by using pre-prepared splint pack<br>|
| Active Comparator: Bulk Supplies<br>Group of post-op patients who have splint applied from bulk supplies | Device: Bulk splint supplies<br>* Applying splint by using the bulk splint supplies<br>* Other names: Standard supplies used to create post-op splint;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total Splint Application Time | Time it takes to apply post-op splint | Immediately following the operation, beginning at the start of gathering splint supplies and ending when splint application is completed (approximately five total minutes) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Time to Gather Supplies | Time it takes to gather supplies prior to splint application | Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel start to gather supplies and ending when they finish gathering supplies (approximately 1 minute) | 
| Time to Prepare Splint | Time it takes to prepare splint supplies prior to splint application | Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel finish gathering supplies and ending when the materials are prepared to apply splint (approximately 2 minutes) | 
| Time to Apply Splint | Time it takes to apply splint | Immediately following the operation, beginning with when medical personnel finish preparing supplies and ending when the splint is applied (approximately 3 minutes) |