As of March 15, 2024, there is no national benchmark for OR turnover times. Many articles talk about reducing turnover time and mention a range, but do not cite a national source for these numbers.
One DNP thesis states: "The current turnover times are just meeting the designated benchmark of 30 minutes. Currently there is no official policy or guideline regarding the turnover process. The lack of guidelines causes variability and leads to prolonged turnover times... A primary issue regarding turnover time is there is no 'gold standard' benchmark. The Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has not explicitly stated an acceptable turnover time."
AORN provides a number of Youtube videos of experts discussing turnover time:
https://aornguidelines.org/webrc/content?gbosid=554160
The commercial "Surgistream" website states: "In the United States, national benchmarks for operating room turnover time may range from 20 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the complexity of the surgical procedures and the facility’s resources. Hospitals often strive to meet or exceed these national benchmarks to provide efficient care." Again, they do not provide a citation for this number.
