en نظام‌های سلامت عمومی، سیاست‌گذاری و اقتصاد سلامت Health Policy, Management, and Economics پژوهشي Research Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:2;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><b>Background</b> Operating rooms play a crucial role in hospitals, directly and indirectly affecting the performance of other departments. They account for more than 33% of the total costs and 60-70% of the total revenue of hospitals. Therefore, improving the efficiency of operating rooms can significantly enhance the utilization of hospital resources. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of operating rooms in hospitals affiliated with the University of Medical Sciences, as well as in non-university public and private hospitals in West Azerbaijan province, to help future decisions in operating room management.<br> <b>Methods</b> This descriptive-analytical applied study was conducted as a cross-sectional evaluation of operating rooms in all hospitals in West Azerbaijan province. Inputs and outputs of operating rooms were determined by reviewing various articles and interviewing relevant experts. Data were collected using forms and checklists designed by the researchers. The efficiency of operating rooms was then calculated using Data Envelopment Analysis with variable returns to scale (input-oriented) and Deap2.1 software, applying the assumption of variable returns to scale and an input-oriented approach.<br> <b>Results</b> The average technical, managerial, and scale efficiency of operating rooms in hospitals in West Azerbaijan province were 0.929, 0.959, and 0.969, respectively. Inefficient hospitals had excess inputs, indicating that the initial and target values of inputs for operating rooms with technical efficiency less than one were different. Scale efficiency (0.969) contributed more to the overall efficiency of operating rooms compared to managerial efficiency (0.959). That is, larger hospitals generally operated closer to optimal scale.<br> <b>Conclusion</b> Enhancing scale efficiency, for example, through the optimal use of existing capacity, should be prioritized over managerial efficiency. DEA results can guide staffing levels, operating room scheduling, and accreditation standards to reduce waste and improve service delivery.<br> &nbsp;</span></span></span><br> &nbsp;</div> Data envelopment analysis, Efficiency, Hospitals, Iran, Operating rooms 276 284 http://hsm.umsu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-217-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Yaser Dadak yaserdadakhe@gmail.com 10031947532846004658 10031947532846004658 No Department of Health Economics and Management, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Rahim Mahmoodlou mahmodlou@gmail.com 10031947532846004659 10031947532846004659 No Department of Surgery, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Hasan Yusefzadeh hyusefzade2010@gmail.com 10031947532846004660 10031947532846004660 Yes Department of Health Economics and Management, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran