Background: In 2006 the longest strike so far in the German health service occurred. Contrary to most hospitals in public authorities, the medical doctors of the University Hospital of Homburg/Saar did not participate in the strike, leading to pronounced tensions between patients, strikers and medical staff.
Material and methods: The effect of the strike on operating room (OR) management, medical personnel resource planning, and surgical training were compared with the remaining period of the year 2006.
Results: Elective surgical procedures were accomplished significantly more frequently by more qualified surgeons, leading to shorter OR time; surgical training was performed significantly less. The rate of emergency operations and the care of tumor patients increased significantly during the strike.
Conclusion: Surgical training was neglected during the strike. Transferring non-job-related tasks to medical doctors and expanding their working time allowed optimal utilization of the limited resources.