Video-based technologies in operating rooms (ORs) offer a paradigm shift in healthcare.
But while they introduce significant benefits, they also come with their own set of advantages and limitations.
Enhanced precision, educational resources and remote collaboration stand out among the pros.
High-definition imaging and live streaming aid surgical accuracy and mentorship, while recorded procedures facilitate training and post-op care.
Data-driven insights foster innovation and elevate standards. Yet, concerns persist around data integrity, costs, integration complexities, human resistance, interpretability and ethical considerations.
Collaboration is pivotal for widespread implementation, as highlighted by recent research, signalling the need for a concerted effort among various stakeholders to overcome these barriers and fully harness the potential of video-based OR technologies.
In an online article published by the American College of Surgeons, author Dr Jay Redan, chief of surgery at Advent Health-Celebration in Florida, considers what is available regarding technology and investigates both the advantages and disadvantages.
He emphasises the growing significance of using video-based assessments to evaluate surgical skills, enhance team performance, prevent errors, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
He suggests that video-based feedback can be an educational and informative learning approach that uniquely assigns qualitative and quantitative metrics to surgeons and their teams.
These metrics inform the entire operating room (OR) and ancillary services that function alongside the OR system.
In his comprehensive overview of the various technologies and approaches available, he considers how video-based feedback is crucial for assessing surgical skills, providing constructive feedback, and enhancing overall patient care. He suggests it allows for qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate surgical proficiency.
Several companies and platforms, such as Apella, Avail Medsystems, Caresyntax, C-SATS, OR Black Box, Orpheus Medical, Proximie, Sony NUCLeUS, Theator, and Touch Surgery, are highlighted for their contributions in utilising technology for video-based assessments, remote consultations, surgical recordings and AI-driven analytics.
Each platform or technology mentioned has distinct functionalities – from live-streaming surgeries and remote consultations to surgical recordings, AI-driven analysis and educational tools for surgeons and trainees.
So, what are the pros and cons of video-based technologies in the OR?
Advantages
- Enhanced insights through data: AI's data analysis capabilities swiftly uncover intricate patterns, trends and inefficiencies that might elude human administrators, empowering more informed decision-making.
- Dynamic real-time oversight: AI continuously monitors surgical timelines, staff performance and resource use, allowing for proactive adjustments to heighten efficiency during ongoing operations.
- Proactive predictive analytics: AI forecasts surgery durations, resource needs and potential bottlenecks, aiding OR managers in resource allocation and planning for improved workflow and reduced wait times.
- Streamlined scheduling: AI algorithms optimise surgery schedules, considering factors like surgeon availability and patient needs, reducing downtime and minimising overbookings.
- Efficient resource management: AI aids in smart allocation of personnel, equipment and materials, ensuring optimal availability at the right time and place.
- Continuous quality enhancement: By analysing historical data, AI identifies areas for improvement, fostering ongoing enhancements in OR operations and overall care quality.
Disadvantages
- Data integrity and privacy concerns: AI's accuracy hinges on data quality and quantity, with incomplete or inaccurate data leading to flawed conclusions. Using patient data for AI raises privacy and security worries.
- High implementation costs: Adopting AI in OR settings demands substantial investments in technology, hardware, software, and staff training, posing financial challenges for smaller healthcare facilities.
- Complex integration challenges: Incorporating AI into existing OR management systems requires seamless compatibility and collaboration with other hospital systems, presenting integration complexities.
- Human resistance: Healthcare professionals may resist AI-driven changes or fear job displacement. Overcoming these hurdles necessitates effective communication and training.
- Limited AI interpretability: Complex AI algorithms, like deep learning models, need help interpreting their decisions or recommendations, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
- Ethical considerations: Ensuring AI fairness, avoiding biases, and maintaining ethical resource allocation and decision-making, particularly in diverse patient populations, is critical.
Research published in February 2023 suggested, ‘ Evidence suggests the routine collection of intraoperative data will be beneficial in advancing surgery, by driving standardised, evidence-based surgical care and personalised training of future surgeons.’
However, the authors also note that ‘many barriers hinder widespread implementation, necessitating close collaboration between surgeons, data scientists, medicolegal personnel and hospital policymakers’.
