Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/320931
5 6 O R E X C E L L E N C E. C O M S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J U N E 2 0 1 4 ing — I discovered the obvious: Distraction was happening in the surgical suite, too. Technology has come between us and the patient, and medicine is not a field where distraction is acceptable. • The scope of the problem. I find it amazing how socially acceptable the use of personal electronic devices has become. Professional organizations seem to be aware of the issue and its hazards, but people aren't. It's outrageous enough that I once conducted a pre-op assessment on a patient whose parents were both pre- occupied with text messages on their phones. We're seeing the arrival of a genera- tion of healthcare professionals who are so dependent on their devices that if you tell them they can't use their phones in the ORs, they react like spoiled teens. There's an app for everything. But do we need an app for everything? • Addiction and awareness. Changing the behavior of addiction first requires an awareness of that behavior. At the University of Rochester, we've edu- cated our staff through a modified CAGE survey, the common alcoholism screen- ing tool. We sub in the use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) for drinking, and ask our surgeons and staff, "Have you ever felt you needed to cut down on the use of your PED? Have people ever annoyed you by criticizing your use of your PED? Have you ever felt guilty about your overuse of your PED at work? Do you reach for your PED first thing in the morning?" It's a real eye-opener when healthcare professionals suddenly understand they just flunked the alcoholism test. The medical-legal liability they'll face if an adverse event occurs while they're distracted by their device — and, most likely, a time-stamped e-mail, text message or social media post — is also a bracing wake-up call. • Code of conduct. With an awareness of their responsibilities, health- care providers can become advocates for conscientious use of electronic devices in the surgical environment. At our center, we've developed a Code K I C K E R 1406_ORX_guide_Layout 1 5/29/14 3:23 PM Page 56