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P R O D U C T S &
P R A C T I C E S
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HUMAN TOUCH
Technological advances are
essential to furthering surgical technique, but skilled caregivers will always be a constant in safe ORs.
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With the explosion of modern surgical equipment, cords and cables head in seemingly every direction in rooms that might not have been upgraded with the required power outlets and boom systems to organize them properly. Dr. Monson wants to do away with, or at least better organize, the incredible amount of equipment that's crowding the modern OR.
He says cordless, battery-powered instruments that have hit the market in the last few years have some traction. "They lead to convenience for the staff," says Dr. Monson. "It's one more cable that's out of the equation."
Ideally, he believes, all OR equipment should be organized on user-friendly boom systems. But it's an expensive undertaking — never mind a logistical nightmare — to retrofit booms to rooms. Wireless technology and plastic cord covers are potential solutions to the overcrowding problem, but wireless systems aren't yet fully embraced in the surgical setting.
The OR is integrated
So what's left? Integrated operating rooms, according to Dr. Monson, who concedes most OR equipment made by different manufacturers can't communicate, which makes full-room integration more difficult.
Still, integration is a goal worth pursuing. In the 2008 report Pillars of a Smart, Safe Operating Room, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center say group-based communication technologies hold great promise for improving patient safety.
They paint the picture of a modern OR that's quickly evolving into reality:
