Improving surgical quality measures

The Quality Improvement for Surgical Teams Conference (QIST) held by Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust provided many insights into improving quality for orthopaedic surgical patients. The two day conference enabled more than 240 surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, physiotherapists, microbiologists and others from around the UK to review and discuss best practice in quality orthopaedic surgical measures for patients. 

Computer aided surgery was explored by Professor Fred Picard from the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Glasgow, one of the key pioneers of this type of surgery in UK. While this has been undertaken for some 25 years in orthopaedic surgery, not all surgeons have adopted the techniques and many hospitals have not yet invested in the high-cost robotic technologies. The main procedures that have been undertaken by this methodology including hip and knee arthroplasties, cruciate ligament surgery, spinal procedures and others.

Prof Picard suggested that we are using many complex technologies in our domestic lives, but not commonly in surgery where simple hammers and chisels are still in use. He suggested that the ideal goals for surgery were more likely to be achieved using the exacting navigation techniques, citing that currently, some 20% of patients are not happy with the outcome of their knee surgery. He identified that robots do not get physically tired; that they are always accurate, sending constant monitoring and feedback on progress (provided that the registry has been carefully undertaken); that three D bio-printing will soon become a common part of future surgeries for bone and cartilage. A keen advocate of the technique, he exalted many of the positive aspects of doing the surgery using computers to assist.