Intercommunication issues in the theatre

The communication challenges in electrophysiology (EP) and cath lab settings are escalating. As a result physicians and their clinical colleagues are experiencing increasing stress-levels, an impact on workflow and – in cases where patients choose to remain conscious during surgery – a damaged patient experience. Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, discusses how headset technology can transform crucial communications during interventional cardiovascular and minimally-invasive surgery. 

It’s inarguable that at some point all doctors and surgeons succumb to stress in their profession, regardless of their speciality. A UK survey of 1,000 surgeons suggested they scored significantly higher than the general population on a range of occupational health factors.1 It has also been found that surgeons in the NHS often have a high level of burnout.2 This isn’t just a UK problem either, it spans across the globe.

There are many contributing factors to surgeons’ stress, from the long hours and the potentially unpredictable nature of procedures, to learning how to work alongside new technologies and having each move carefully observed by their colleagues. There is also the duration of the procedures to consider, the ‘Surgeons’ Stress From Surgery and Night Duty: A Multi-institutional Study’ research found that surgeons in Japan who operated for longer than 210 minutes had higher levels of stress than those performing quicker operations.3 That said, the biggest stressors for surgeons don’t often come from the technical elements of the procedure, instead surgeons are more affected by nontechnical performance issues: judgement, decision making, and communication.4