Authors (including presenting author) :
Mak HY (1), Kong TY (1), Leung SC (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Operating theatre, Tuen Mun Hospital
Introduction :
Thanks to the rapid development of information technology in the 21st Century, advanced technology is widely used in hospital especially operating room (OR). However, there is still little evidence showing how new technology can enhance better communication among colleagues which in turn facilitate the surgical procedures. A program, EPCSMT, is launched in the OR of Tuen Mun hospital in attempt to apply screen-mirroring technology (SMT) to operative procedures. With the use of SMT, key information including “theatre preparation”, “patient positioning”, “communication among OR team” is displayed on a television in theatre via a smart phone. A pilot study is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the EPCSMT in urology surgeries.
Objectives :
This pilot study is to explore the impact of EPCSMT on urology surgeries in terms of: 1) “Patient Positioning and OR Table Setup” 2) “Theatre Preparation” 3) “Overall review” of staff satisfaction, patient safety and surgical flow.
Methodology :
Since March 2019, EPCSMT has been conducted for all elective urology surgeries. Data was collected from 60 OR staff including surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and OTAs through interview and questionnaire. The impact of EPCSMT was assessed through 3 aspects - “Patient Positioning and OR Table Setup”, “Theatre Preparation” and “Overall review”. Staff were asked to rate their enhancement of understanding, accuracy of preparation, preparation time, increase in confidence and competence, enhancement of communication, patient safety, procedural flow and their satisfaction from 1 to 5 (1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree).
Result & Outcome :
Results For “Patient Positioning and OR Table Setup”, EPCSMT was found to enhance staff understanding (55% agree; 40% strongly agree), ensure correct preparation (51% agree; 46% strongly agree), reduce preparation time (53% agree; 42% strongly agree) and increase self-confidence and competence (49% agree; 44% strongly agree). For “Theatre Preparation”, EPCSMT was considered to enhance staff understanding (53% agree; 44% strongly agree), ensure correct preparation (48% agree; 51% strongly agree), reduce preparation time (47% agree; 46% strongly agree) and increase self-confidence and competence (49% agree; 45% strongly agree). For “Overall Review”, EPCSMT was believed to enhance communication and collaboration within OR team (30% agree; 70% strongly agree), enhance patient safety (47% agree; 50% strongly agree), ensure smooth procedural flow (46% agree; 52% strongly agree). In conclusion, EPCSMT facilitated urology surgeries through better perioperative preparation and communication among the OR team.
