prevented if your OR team had acquired more education in "customer service and the psychology of waiting".

You've seen some snarky comments (hey this is CB) and some helpful ones... I'll add that one of our most frustrating challenges on a day to day basis in the practice of medicine is managing patient expectations. Very few physicians I know are late to work, delay a case or clinic visit to eat lunch, or socialize in the physician lounge. We mostly work early and late, take phone calls at night and during sacrament meeting for which we receive no compensation, and admit to patients that we can't fix all their symptoms. But we do try, and sometimes a patient with patience and empathy helps.

I had a hernia surgery a few months ago. My surgeon had me arrive 2 hours early, then stopped by the pre-op area to apologize that a cold, pulseless arm had just rolled into the ER and he had to do that case ahead of me. I went 4 hours after arriving at the hospital. He was thoughtful, did his best, and I understood that the poor guy with a clot in his arm was higher priority than I. Sounds like the staff could have communicated better to you. They might have been stressed out of their minds about something and just didn't get to you....