Hospital OT Management Software: Surgery Scheduling, PAC & OT Workflow

OT (Operation Theatre) management software is the module that plans and records surgical activity: who operates, in which theatre, at what time, on which patient, with which team and consumables, and what is billed afterwards. It sits inside a Hospital Management System so the surgical booking connects to the patient's admission, pharmacy and bill.

An operation theatre is among the most expensive resources a hospital has, in both capital and staff time.

• Double bookings: Two cases booked in one theatre, or one surgeon in two places, cause delays and cancellations.
• Incomplete pre-op checks: A case that reaches the table without PAC clearance may be postponed.
• Missing consumables: Sutures, implants and specialized items used in surgery are often not entered in the bill.
• No utilization data: Without records, owners cannot tell how many theatre hours are actually used.

1. Surgery request: The surgeon requests a procedure for an admitted or day-care patient, with an estimated duration.
2. Pre-anaesthesia check (PAC): The anaesthetist reviews history, investigations and fitness. PAC status is recorded before the case can proceed.
3. Scheduling: The system books a theatre, surgeon and team for a time window and rejects any overlap.
4. Pre-op preparation: Consent, investigations and fasting instructions are tracked.
5. Intra-operative record: Procedure details, team, timings, implants and consumables used are logged.
6. Recovery: The patient moves to a recovery bay, with observations recorded.
7. Discharge or ward transfer: The operation note and discharge summary are generated, and all surgical charges post to the bill.

• Conflict-proof scheduling of theatre, surgeon and team
• PAC workflow with status gating
• Procedure master with packages and rates
• Implant, consumable and instrument-set tracking
• Intra-operative notes and operation summary
• Recovery bay tracking and post-op observations
• Integration with the pharmacy for OT drug and consumable issue
• Automatic surgical charge posting
• Utilization reports by theatre and surgeon

1. Scheduling in a paper diary or shared spreadsheet. Conflicts appear after the fact.
2. PAC not enforced. If the system lets a case proceed without it, the check is only a suggestion.
3. Consumables billed from memory. Implants are expensive and easy to forget.
4. No theatre turnaround tracking. Idle gaps between cases remain invisible.
5. OT outside the main system. Surgery details must link to the admission and bill.

Prepare your procedure list with rates and packages, theatre and surgeon master data, consumable and implant catalogue, and standard operation-note templates. Agree who owns PAC and consent status in your process. Start with scheduling and billing, then add the detailed intra-operative record once staff are comfortable. See also how to prevent double booking in hospital operation theatres.

QureSetu uses PostgreSQL exclusion constraints (btree_gist) so overlapping theatre or surgeon bookings are rejected by the database itself, not just by a screen warning. Surgeries link to the admission, recovery bay transitions are tracked, discharge summaries are generated automatically, and surgical charges surface in the unbilled pool. Read the hospital OT management page for the full view.

How does hospital software manage OT scheduling? It books theatre, surgeon and team for a time window and blocks any overlap, shows a live OT calendar, and links the booking to PAC status, the patient's admission and billing.

What is PAC in surgery? PAC is the pre-anaesthesia check, in which the anaesthetist assesses a patient's fitness for anaesthesia before surgery.

Can OT software track implants and consumables? Yes, if it has a consumable and implant catalogue linked to pharmacy or store stock. Ask how items are issued to a case.

Is OT software useful for day-care surgery centers? Yes. Scheduling, packages and recovery tracking apply equally to day-care procedures.

Want to see conflict-proof OT scheduling live? Book a Free HMS Demo and we will schedule a sample surgery with you.