Plummer Memorial Public Hospital/Sault Ste. Marie General Hospital
NURSING STANDARDS MANUAL - PROCESS STANDARDS

TITLE:	BOOKING GUIDELINES FOR SURGICAL 
PROCEDURES	
NUMBER:
PAGE     :
    APPROVED BY:	
JULY 1998


1. Service block bookings, will be in effect Monday through Friday.  It is the responsibility 
of the Clinical Directors or their designate, to assign the time for their departments. 
Normally a block is defined as 08:00 h – 15:30 h  
2. Elective surgical time for the service blocks is reserved until 1200 h, 10 working days 
prior to the block.
3. Elective bookings for the Operating Room will be accepted by the Booking Clerk in the 
Scheduling Office (256-3479) between the hours of 0700-1500, Monday to Friday.  All 
elective surgical procedures will be booked using the Admission Request Form (ARF). 
 The ARF and History and Physical must be completed in full and received in the 
Scheduling Office by 1200h, 10 working days prior to the block.  Until these two forms 
are submitted, the case will not be booked nor will the operative time be reserved.  
4. At the above time, any unused block time will be made available to other Surgeons.  
Services/Surgeons with identified waiting lists will be given priority.
5. The O.R. List is finalised and distributed throughout the hospital by 14:00 h, 1 day in 
advance.  Any additional changes to the O.R. List after this time must be arranged 
through the Surgical Suite Manager.
6. Booked time will include the anaesthetic and changeover time.  The average system 
time will be used in booking all procedures unless the Surgeon identifies factors which 
may extend the time required. 
7. Paediatric patients should be booked as early in the day as possible arranged with the 
youngest first.
8. Diabetic patients must be booked between 0800-1130 h, including elective C-Section 
patients with I.D.D.M.
9. When more than one Surgeon is to be involved in a specific case, it is the 
responsibility of the Attending Surgeon to co-ordinate all details. 
10. The Surgeon is responsible for notifying the Assistant of the date and time of surgery 
when the case is booked.  The O.R. staff will notify the Assistant of any delay or 
change of time on the day of surgery.  The Surgeon is responsible for notifying the 
Assistant of any changes made in the schedule before that time.
11. The O.R. Booking Clerk must be notified of all planned vacations or absences 30 days 
in advance.  Failure to notify the O.R. Scheduling Office will result in the inclusion of 
the unused block time in the calculation of the Surgeon and Service’s utilisation 
statistics.  During scheduled slowdowns and closures, i.e.: summer, longer notice of 
planned vacation may be required.