Operation theatre and post-operative management for hospitals
The OT module of Shafa HMS manages the surgical pathway from the decision to operate through discharge. It schedules theatre slots, assigns surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and equipment, runs pre-operative checklists, records anaesthesia and operative notes, and captures every consumable and implant used. A post-operative section then follows the patient into recovery and the ward with observation charts, post-op orders, complication logging and follow-up booking. It is intended for hospitals in Bangladesh with one theatre or several, and it reads from and writes to the same patient record used by IPD, Inventory, Pharmacy and Accounts elsewhere in the suite.
- Theatre slots planned per surgeon and room
- Supports the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist
- Implants and consumables charged automatically
- Post-operative charting through to discharge
Overview
One record from listing to discharge
Surgery touches more departments than any other episode of care. The ward prepares the patient, the theatre operates, the store supplies the implants, the recovery room monitors, the pharmacy dispenses, and finance bills all of it. When each of those teams keeps its own register, the operative note lives in one book, the implant sticker in another, and the bill is assembled days later from memory. The OT module gives them one shared case record instead.
As an OT management system it handles the theatre itself: which room, which slot, which team, which instruments and which checks were completed before the first incision. As surgery management software it also handles what surrounds the theatre: the pre-anaesthetic assessment, consent, the operative and anaesthesia notes, and the transfer to recovery. Both halves are written against the same surgical case, so a query about a patient's operation has one place to look.
The post-operative half is not an afterthought. Recovery-room and ward observations, analgesia and antibiotic orders, drain and wound checks, complication logging and the discharge summary are all part of the same module, because the outcome of an operation is decided in the days after it as much as in the hours during it. Follow-up appointments booked at discharge appear in the OPD calendar, closing the loop.
Capabilities
Operation theatre and post-operative capabilities
The first five cover the theatre; the last two follow the patient afterwards.
- 1
OT scheduling and slot management
Each theatre has its own calendar divided into slots. Cases are listed against a slot with surgeon, procedure, expected duration and priority, and elective lists are published to the ward so patients are prepared on time. Emergency cases are inserted with the displaced cases visibly rescheduled rather than silently lost. Theatre utilisation is reported per room and per surgeon.
- 2
Surgical team and equipment assignment
Assign the operating surgeon, assistants, anaesthetist, scrub and circulating nurses to each case, with conflicts flagged when a person is already booked in another theatre. Major equipment such as C-arms, microscopes and laparoscopy towers is booked against the slot in the same way, so a list is not confirmed until the team and the equipment are both available.
- 3
Surgical safety checklists
The module supports the three-phase structure of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist: sign-in before anaesthesia, time-out before incision and sign-out before the patient leaves theatre. Each item is ticked by a named user with a timestamp, and incomplete phases are flagged on the case. Facilities can add their own pre-operative items to the standard set.
- 4
Consumables and implant recording
Sutures, mesh, drapes, drugs and implants used during the case are recorded against it from the theatre store list, with lot number and expiry for implants. Each entry is deducted from the Inventory module and added to the patient's bill at the same moment, which removes the reconciliation between the theatre register, the store and the cash counter.
- 5
Anaesthesia and operative notes
The anaesthetist records the pre-anaesthetic assessment, the technique used, drugs and doses, and intra-operative vitals at set intervals. The surgeon records findings, procedure performed, specimens sent and any deviation from plan in a structured operative note that can be printed or shared with the referring doctor. Both notes carry their author and time, and every later edit is audit-logged.
- 6
Recovery and ward handover
When the patient leaves theatre, a handover record moves with them to the recovery room and then to the ward or ICU. It carries the operative summary, anaesthesia details, drains and lines in place, the immediate post-op orders and the surgeon's instructions on when to escalate. Receiving nurses acknowledge the handover, so the point of transfer is recorded.
- 7
Post-operative care management
From recovery to discharge, nurses chart vitals, pain scores and wound and drain observations at intervals the surgeon sets. Post-operative orders for analgesia, antibiotics, fluids and mobilisation are issued once and executed from the ward screen. Complications are logged against the case with grade and action taken, and the discharge summary and follow-up appointment are generated from the same record.
Suite fit
How the OT module connects to the rest of Shafa HMS
A surgical case draws on almost every other module. Rather than describe integrations in the abstract, here is what moves, in which direction, when a patient is listed, operated on and discharged through Shafa HMS with the OT module in place.
- IPD and bed managementtoOT scheduling
Admitted patients are listed for surgery from the ward, and the theatre list is visible to the ward so pre-operative preparation starts on time.
- OT case recordtoInventory
Consumables and implants recorded during the case are deducted from theatre and central store stock, with lot and expiry retained for traceability.
- OT and post-operative recordtoBilling and Accounts
Theatre charges, surgeon and anaesthetist fees, implants, consumables and post-operative ward days post to the patient's bill as they occur.
- Post-operative dischargetoOPD and Pharmacy
Discharge medications go to the pharmacy for dispensing and the follow-up appointment is booked into the surgeon's OPD calendar.
Standards and compliance
Standards, safety and data controls
The OT module inherits the suite's security model and adds surgical-safety structure on top of it.
WHO Surgical Safety Checklist workflow
The sign-in, time-out and sign-out phases of the WHO checklist are supported as a native workflow with named, timestamped completion. The module implements the published structure; adoption and training remain the hospital's responsibility.
HL7 FHIR-based records
Procedures, observations and medication orders from the surgical episode are stored on HL7 FHIR resources, so the operative record can be exchanged with a referring facility or a national system in a standard form.
Named users, roles and audit logs
Surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre nurses, ward staff and billing each have distinct permissions. Checklist ticks, note edits and implant entries are attributed to a named user and kept in an audit log.
Encryption and HIPAA-style handling
Surgical and anaesthesia records are encrypted in transit and at rest, with backups handled the same way. Access follows least-privilege principles in line with HIPAA-style data handling.
Deployment
Where the OT module runs
Theatres cannot pause for a server problem, so the deployment model matters more here than for most modules. Shafa HMS offers cloud hosting, on-premise installation and offline sync, and the OT module runs identically in each. The choice usually follows the hospital's data-sovereignty policy and the reliability of its connectivity, and in all three the hospital owns its data.
Cloud
Shafa-hosted with a dedicated database for each hospital and backups, monitoring and updates managed by Shafa Care. Theatre lists and post-operative charts are reachable from any authorised device on the network.
On-premise
Installed on the hospital's own servers so surgical records never leave the facility. Air-gapped operation is supported for institutions that require it, with Shafa Care handling delivery and maintenance.
Offline sync
An edge node inside the theatre complex keeps checklists, notes, consumable recording and post-operative charting available during a connectivity outage, then synchronises in order once the link is restored.
Who it is for
Who the OT module is for
Surgical and anaesthesia departments
Surgeons and anaesthetists who want their lists, notes and checklists in one place, and who need the record of what was done and what was used to be complete when the case closes.
Theatre managers and nursing leads
The people who build the weekly list, allocate rooms and staff, keep the theatre store stocked and answer for utilisation. The module gives them the schedule, the team roster and consumption in one view.
Hospital administrators and finance
Directors and finance heads who need surgical revenue, implant costs and length of stay after surgery reported per procedure and per surgeon, without a clerk reconstructing them from theatre registers.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How is the OT module licensed and priced?
As with every part of Shafa HMS, the OT and post-operative module is offered on a subscription, priced per facility according to the modules deployed and the size of the surgical service. We do not publish rates, because a single-theatre clinic and a referral hospital with eight theatres need different configurations. Contact us with your theatre count, monthly case volume and preferred deployment model for a quote.
Does the module cover post-operative care, or only the theatre?
Both. The post-operative section is a core part of the module, not an add-on. It covers the handover from theatre to recovery and ward, observation charting at intervals set by the surgeon, post-op orders for medication and fluids, complication logging, the discharge summary and the follow-up booking. Post-operative ward days and medications are billed through the same case, so the financial record is as complete as the clinical one.
How are post-operative complications recorded and reviewed?
A complication is logged against the surgical case by any authorised clinician, with type, date of onset, severity grade and the action taken. Because it is linked to the procedure, surgeon and implant lot, the hospital can review complication rates by procedure or by period for its own audit and morbidity meetings. Entries carry author and time and are retained in the audit trail.
Is the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist built in?
The module supports the checklist's three phases as a workflow: sign-in, time-out and sign-out, each ticked by a named user with a timestamp. Hospitals can extend the list with their own pre-operative items, for example blood availability or implant confirmation. The structure follows the published WHO checklist; it is the hospital's adoption and training that make it effective, and the module makes completion visible and auditable.
Can we start with OT alone and add other modules later?
Shafa HMS modules are built to be rolled out in phases, and OT is a reasonable place to begin for a hospital whose surgical service is its main line of work. The OT module is most useful alongside IPD and Inventory, because listing, ward handover and implant deduction depend on them, so we usually propose those together and add Pharmacy, laboratory and OPD in later phases.
Our theatre records are on paper today. What does migration and training involve?
Theatre registers are not usually back-entered; the module starts with the next list. Before go-live we configure theatres, procedure lists, surgeon and anaesthetist fee structures, the theatre store catalogue and the checklist items your hospital wants. Theatre nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and ward staff are trained in their own roles, typically starting with scheduling and checklists and adding notes and post-operative charting once those are routine.
Does it work in Bangla, and what happens if the connection drops mid-case?
All screens, including checklists and post-operative charts, are available in Bangla and English, selected per user. With offline sync, an edge node in the theatre complex keeps the case record, checklists, consumable entries and ward charting running through a connectivity loss, and synchronises in order when the link returns. Nothing recorded during the outage is lost or duplicated.
Shafa HMS · OT & Post-op
Walk through a surgical case on Shafa HMS
Give us one of your common procedures, from listing to the first follow-up visit. We will show scheduling, checklists, implant recording, the handover and post-operative charting on the platform, and answer the questions your theatre team raises.