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O U T P A T 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 LY 2 0 1 5
Say No to Surveillance Cameras in the OR
A proposed law would require ASCs and hospitals to install black boxes.
A
re surveillance cameras in the OR a
good idea? Depends on why they're
there. If they're intended to enhance
surgeon performance and to find out why
adverse events happen in the name of patient
safety, then, yes, the very black box technology
that has helped improve airline safety could do
the same for surgery. But if the camera's job is
to snoop, to be Big Brother looking over your
shoulder during procedures and watching your every move, then we
say no to tracking time-stamped data.
Some argue that cameras could help prevent providers from behav-
ing badly, as well as aid malpractice victims and even help justify a
doctor's defense against malpractice. As you can see in the InstaPoll
results to the right, a panel of our readers is split right down the mid-
dle.
Others argue that a high-risk industry like surgery should monitor
the performance of frontline workers. We disagree, especially when
you consider what's behind recent efforts to install cameras in operat-
ing rooms.
If you haven't heard the incredibly insensitive anesthesiologist trash
the sedated patient who inadvertently recorded his entire colonoscopy
on his iPhone, take a few minutes to listen at osmag.net/nFqFF5. Soon
after this story went viral, the push for cameras in the OR began to
pick up steam.
Last month, a Wisconsin state legislator introduced a bill that would
require surgery centers and hospitals to offer surgical patients the
option to have their surgical procedures videotaped. Proponents of the
E D I T O R ' S P A G E
Dan O'Connor
