Boosting surgical capacity through process optimisation using PATHMAKER

This challenge becomes even more evident in one of the hospital’s most complex and demanding service — the surgical Unit. Within the surgical block, Hospital Clínico mobilises around 150 healthcare professionals working across 16 operating rooms: 12 dedicated to elective procedures, 3 to emergencies and 1 maternal. These professionals include surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, porters, and cleaning teams distributed across admission, preparation, operating, and recovery areas. Efficient coordination between these highly interdependent roles is essential to ensure patient safety, maintain high-quality care, and keep waiting times under control. However, the lack of real-time visibility and digital integration often causes inefficiencies, delays, and unnecessary stress for all involved.

Another critical but frequently underestimated aspect is communication with patients’ relatives. This moment, occurring during surgery, is one of the most delicate and emotionally charged points in the entire process. When communication with families is inadequate or unstructured, it can substantially diminish satisfaction levels, increase complaints to hospital management, and, in some cases, erode trust in the surgical team. From an operational perspective, poor communication also creates a repetitive workload for clinical staff, as anxious relatives request updates in the absence of reliable, scheduled information. Improving this interaction is therefore essential not only for patient and family experience but also for staff efficiency and morale.
Recognising these challenges, the Hospital Clinico de Valencia is willing to pilot a solution designed to demonstrate how digital transformation can radically enhance surgical workflow efficiency and coordination. The main goal is to increase overall surgical performance, despite the technical constraints of an older hospital infrastructure. Lessons learned from this pilot will inform the design and organisation of the hospital’s new facilities, ensuring continuity in both technology and workflow innovation.

Specific objectives of the pilot include tracking deployment time (DT)—with a target of completing system integration in less than 12 weeks—while also measuring staff satisfaction through the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and patients’ and families’ satisfaction via the Short-Form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18). The success criteria aim for an 15% improvement in both staff and family satisfaction levels compared to baseline data.
Ultimately, this initiative seeks not only to digitalise hospital operations but to redefine the surgical experience for patients, families, and professionals alike—making the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia a leading example of human-centred innovation in the Valencian region.