How Theator Estimates Times

Cases rarely run exactly to their booked times. Theator shows an estimate next to the booked time, for example Patient in room about 11:10 with booked 10:40 under it, built from what has happened in the room so far and how long cases at your hospital usually take. This article explains how to read an estimate, what it is based on, when it shows, and why you may see none.

Who Is This For?

• Surgeons and OR teams who plan around when their next case starts
• Admins and OR staff who follow the rooms through the day

Reading an Estimate

A time with about in front of it is an estimate. A time marked booked or Starts, such as booked 10:40 or Starts 10:40, is the booked time. Any other time is something that already happened, such as Patient in room 07:48.

Where space is short, the same estimate appears in fewer words, for example In use · out of room about 10:50 for a room that is in use, ends about 16:10 for the end of your day, or Room busy with OR 12 · yours about 11:10 when the case before yours is still in the room.

Every estimate follows the same rules:

• It is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes and shown in the room's local time.
• It is not a schedule change. The booked time stays as booked, and Theator does not change your hospital's schedule.
• Once the event happens, the actual time replaces the estimate.
• Theator recalculates it whenever the page updates, so it can move during the day.

See What an Estimate Is Based On

Select the ⓘ next to an estimate (screen readers announce it as "How this estimate is made"). On a phone, it opens a sheet at the bottom of the screen. On a computer, it opens a small panel. Under the title Theator estimate, it shows:

1. The estimate itself, for example Patient in room about 11:10.
2. The range, for example Between about 11:00 and 11:20: where the actual time falls about 9 times in 10. An End uncertain or Start time uncertain estimate has no time, so it shows no range.
3. What the estimate is based on, in a sentence or two (see the table below).
4. A reminder that the booked time has not changed, for example An estimate, not a schedule change. The booked time stays 10:40.

On most pages, the panel also shows when the information last updated, for example Updated 1 min ago.

What an Estimate Can Be Based On

The lines that describe a case in detail (the room, procedure and recording times) appear on your own cases. Admins also see them on colleagues' cases in the rooms they manage. For everyone else, on a case you're not part of, the ⓘ describes the room only and never names the surgeon or the procedure.

When an Estimate Shows

Theator works out how long cases at your hospital take from the last 6 months of cases, using the times your hospital recorded patients entering and leaving the room. It compares like with like: first this surgeon's cases of the same kind, then all cases of that kind at your hospital, then all cases at your hospital. These figures refresh every hour. During the day Theator combines them with what has happened in the room so far. An estimate shows when:

• the booked time is less than 2 hours away, or the case is already in progress
• your hospital is sending the times patients enter and leave the room, and they are up to date
• your hospital has at least 20 cases with these times in the last 6 months
• the range is no wider than an hour and the case is not running far longer than any similar case at your hospital; otherwise you see End uncertain or Start time uncertain
• for when a patient enters the room, your hospital's recent cases show that Theator's estimate lands closer than the booked time does; otherwise you see Start time uncertain. The first case of the day shows no start estimate, because nothing has happened in the room yet to improve on the booked time.

Why Some Rooms and Cases Show No Estimate

No estimate is not an error. The booked time and everything that has already happened still show, for example Prior case in OR 12 · in progress since 08:02 (2h 8m). Common reasons:

• Your hospital doesn't send the times Theator uses. Estimates need the times patients enter and leave the room, sent as they happen, and the day's schedule in advance. Where these aren't available, no estimates show.
• Too few recent cases. Where your hospital has fewer than 20 cases with these times in the last 6 months, no estimates show.
• Too far ahead. Nothing shows more than 2 hours before the booked time.
• Too uncertain right now. You see End uncertain or Start time uncertain where the page has room for it, and nothing where it doesn't.
• It already happened. Once the patient is in or out of the room, the actual time replaces the estimate.
• It's a holiday. Some holidays are left out, so no estimates show on those days.
• It's a colleague's case. Unless you're an admin for the room, an estimate on a case you're not part of describes the room only, and may not show at all.

Common Questions

The estimate moved. Why? Theator recalculates estimates whenever the page updates, using everything that has happened in the room since. Because estimates are rounded to 5 minutes, each change is at least 5 minutes.

The estimate is later than the booked time. Has my case moved? No. An estimate never changes the booked time or your hospital's schedule. Ask your OR front desk about schedule changes.

An estimate was far off. What should I do? Theator refreshes its figures from your hospital's cases every hour, so estimates follow how your rooms actually run. If estimates for your rooms are often far off, contact your Theator representative.

What's Next?

• Viewing the Daily Room Schedule — See the day's booked cases in every room
• Intro to Room Page — Follow one room through the day
• Understanding the Theator Homepage and Navigation — Find your way around Theator