A Swedish hospital's orthopedics unit restructured its workforce to cut absenteeism and boost efficiency, AlterNet reports.
Five quick details:
1. Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg switched 89 nurses and physicians in its orthopedics unit to a six-hour workday.
2. The hospital hired 15 new staff members to fill resulting gaps and keep operating rooms open longer.
3. The restructuring came at a price tag of $123,000 a month but cut absenteeism and boosted efficiency, the hospital's executive director told a New York Times reporter.
4. The unit performs 20 percent more operations than it did before the change.
5. It also cut surgical patients' waiting times from months to weeks.