[How much does 1 min in the operating room, 1 day on the intensive care unit and on the peripheral ward cost? : A health-economic model for calculating personnel costs in a university orthopedic trauma surgery department].

backgroundThe majority of the total costs in German hospitals are accounted for with around two thirds for personnel costs for medical and nursing services. The aim of this study was to present a health-economic model for physician and nursing service costs for the cost-intensive areas operating room (OR), intensive care unit and peripheral ward in a university orthopedic trauma department.

methodsBased on the remuneration per collective bargaining classification in 2024 and corresponding assumptions of the physician and nursing staffing for a university orthopedic trauma department, the staffing costs of 1min in the OR were determined. An exemplary model for the calculation of surgical staff costs was created for gamma nail osteosynthesis for proximal femoral fractures and angle-stable plate osteosynthesis for proximal humeral fractures. For the intensive care unit and peripheral ward, the staffing costs per bed were calculated for a 24‑h day.

resultsThe staffing costs per minute in the OR amounted to 5.63 €. The model calculations resulted in staffing costs of 300 € for gamma nail osteosynthesis for proximal femoral fractures (Ø 53 OR minutes) and staffing costs of 567 € for angle-stable plate fixation for proximal humeral fractures (Ø 101 OR minutes). The staffing costs for a 24‑h day amounted to 807 € per bed in the intensive care unit and 192 € for the peripheral ward.

conclusionOn the basis of the model presented, it is possible to calculate the staffing costs in the operating room as well as in the intensive care unit and peripheral ward. Taking the structural and staff basic conditions into account, the model can also be transferred to hospitals at other levels of care and can serve as a basis for a cost-effective deployment of staff.