Lauren Greenwood, content development manager and Kees-Jan Sikma, application consultant digital O.R. at Brainlab discuss the human factor, and why operating room staff are essential to true technology integration.
As far back as 1986, the notion of incorporating computer technology into operating rooms – the largest cost centre and revenue generator in the hospital – was being put forward. Long before personal computers were a reality in every modern home and business, clinicians had recognised the potential of computer technology to positively effect practices by addressing nursing, administrative, financial and medical needs.
Today, after more than 30 years of development, high-tech integrated operating rooms around the globe are packed with the most advanced surgical technology – Robotic assistants, minimally invasive devices, image guided surgery systems, intelligent data management and intraoperative imaging. These systems tend to be designed with the goal of making surgery faster, safer, less expensive, more accurate and less debilitating for the patient.
But what stands in the way of harnessing the maximum potential of these high-tech software and devices? The answer lies in the willingness and ability for the humans in the O.R. to incorporate them into their daily workflows. Ultimately, regardless of how incredible any piece of technology may be, if the people who work in and around the operating room aren’t utilising it due to unfamiliarity with the system, it’s doomed to collect dust in a corner or worse – in a hospital storage closet.
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