There’s a moment every surgeon recognises, that shift in atmosphere when you step out of theatre and into the wider hospital.
Inside, everything hums with purpose. Outside, the rhythm breaks.
One minute you're in a space where every action is deliberate… the next, you're navigating a system where simple tasks become unnecessarily complicated.
It’s in that contrast, the clarity of the OR versus the clutter of the hospital, that the real problem becomes obvious:
We’re trained to thrive in high-performance systems.
But we work in organisations built on low-performance processes.
And it raises a question I’ve heard surgeons whisper to each other countless times:
“If we could redesign even one day of this system… where would we start?”
The answer is clearer than most people think.
Because the issues slowing hospitals down aren’t hidden. They’re visible to anyone who’s ever worked in a well-run operative environment.
Here are three problems surgeons would fix immediately.
1. Repetition That Serves No One
Ask a surgeon what drains their time most.
It isn’t the clinical complexity. It’s the administrative redundancy.
Multiple logins. Endless forms. Repeating information that should exist in one place.
In theatre, repetition signals danger. Outside theatre, it’s tolerated as normal.
But a surgeon wouldn’t tolerate it. We’d:
- identify duplicated steps
- streamline the workflow
- eliminate unnecessary admin loops
- ensure one clean source of truth
It’s not innovation. It’s basic operational hygiene.
Hospitals don’t need more documentation; they need smarter processes.
2. Meetings Without Movement
In theatre, conversations are structured:
Brief → Execute → Debrief → Improve.
Outside?
Meetings often exist simply because they always have.
No agenda. No decision-making. No clarity on who does what next.
If surgeons redesigned hospital meetings:
- most would disappear
- the remaining ones would be short and directive
- outcomes would be defined, not vague
- ownership would be explicit
Surgeons aren’t against meetings. We’re against meetings that produce nothing.
A meeting is a tool, and tools should solve problems, not create them.
3. Systems With No Reflection
In the OR, feedback is continuous.
You notice. You adapt. You correct. You learn.
Hospitals, in contrast, allow broken processes to persist because no one is designated to ask:
“What actually happened here, and how do we prevent it again?”
A surgeon-led system would introduce:
- quick reviews of process failures
- learning loops without blame
- small adjustments with big impact
- a culture where improvement is expected, not optional
Hospitals struggle not because they’re complex, but because they aren’t consistently evaluated.
Reflection isn’t optional in surgery, and it shouldn’t be optional in systems either.
Why This Matters
Theatre is proof that high-functioning systems are possible in healthcare.
Not perfect, but intentional.
Not effortles, but disciplined.
Not rigid, but reliable.
Hospitals already employ people who work this way every day.
The missed opportunity is simple:
We use our best systems in the smallest space. And our worst systems everywhere else.
Give surgeons 24 hours to redesign hospital operations and you’d see the difference immediately.
Not because surgeons are superior.
But because surgery demands clarity; and clarity is exactly what hospitals lack.
Try Scrubi for Free
I’m excited to introduce Scrubi
your new scrub buddy — now live and completely free to use.
Scrubi is built to make a surgeon’s day simpler — not just in theatre, but especially in the parts of the job that drain us the most: the admin work.
The endless forms. The scattered notes. The tasks you need to remember between patients. The invisible mental load you carry after every list.
Scrubi helps you:
- organise your day without overwhelm
- capture tasks and decisions before they slip
- streamline your workflow
- reduce cognitive clutter
- stay on top of the admin that hospitals never designed properly
It’s made for the real world of surgery — where everything moves fast, and the paperwork always waits for you at the end.
You can try it here: https://scrubi.net
I built Scrubi because I wanted a tool that respected a surgeon’s time. I hope it makes your day a little lighter, and your work a lot smoother.
When you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:
I’ve created a collection of practical, experience-based tools to help surgeons build clarity, visibility, and long-term career growth — all in one place.
🔗 Explore all my products here
Each resource is designed to help you grow beyond the OR — without burning out.
