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Surgical Communication

The challenges of O.R. communication

Effective communication is essential both inside and outside of the operating room. Inside the O.R., a high degree of coordination between individuals is necessary to lower risk-adjusted morbidity and avoid adverse events3. During surgery, external collaboration can be key to achieving optimal outcomes, however, clinical experts may not always be available to attend. Witnessing surgeries enriches medical students’ education, but an increase in traffic in the O.R. can also mean an increase in risk of infection for the patient4.

An infographic outlining the issues that can arise when dealing with communication in the operating room

Fostering effective exchange

Brainlab Digital O.R. technology strives to consolidate communication to ensure that the entire team has simultaneous access to the same information in the O.R., but also to make essential information available beyond the O.R.

At the touch of a finger on the Buzz user interface, information and video can be streamed and shared to other locations outside the O.R., expanding teaching and expert collaboration opportunities.

Digitizing processes is the first step towards building efficiency from inside the operating room

Efficient O.R. teamwork

With dozens of workflows, processes and tasks happening simultaneously, even in the most organized O.R.s, a high degree of coordination and clear communication between all personnel involved is essential.

To keep all members of the surgical team on the same page—from nurses to anesthesiologists to surgeons—Brainlab has developed tools that are accessible from all O.R. displays.

  • Surgical Checklist—Automated, customizable surgical checklist allows the surgical team to follow the time out procedure, the record of which is saved automatically to the patient record
  • Brainlab Clock—Flexibly configured to meet time tracking needs for key procedures, such as aneurysm clipping and bone segmentation
Brainlab Digital O.R. technologies enable easy communication with specialists outside of the operating room

Reaching beyond the O.R.

During surgery, consultation outside the O.R. with other surgeons or specialists, like radiology or pathology, is sometimes necessary to gain additional insight or expertise. External communication allows the O.R. team to clarify issues at the table, enabling quicker and more informed decision-making.

Brainlab offers a fully web-based software solution for conferencing integrated into the hospital network, allowing live O.R. connection to colleagues and experts for consultation. Conferencing not only speeds up informed decision-making in the O.R., but also saves time for experts and specialists outside the O.R. as they can be called from any PC or tablet connected to the hospital network via the secure web-portal.

  • Built-in sound system—Both the Buzz speakers, optimized for clear conversations, and video camera are behind glass for easy cleaning and damage avoidance
  • Flexible conferencing—Web-based conferencing is available on any set-up client PC or tablet connected to the hospital network. Available contacts are shown on the Buzz Conferencing App for easy connection
  • Contact from the sterile field—To facilitate communication from the sterile field, an external microphone can be connected to Buzz, e.g. via Bluetooth headset
  • Reliable image and data exchange—Patient images and data can be quickly shared with colleagues outside the O.R. for consultation and review through Quentry Cloud Services
Streaming a procedure in HD-SDI is one of the best ways to share procedures with a large group of individuals like medical students or colleagues

Transmitting knowledge

With fast full HD-SDI streaming, students can watch surgeries in real time outside of the O.R., allowing them to witness more cases more often and minimizing the additional risk of infection. Streaming also enables the surgeon to share their latest techniques and findings during academic events, congresses or expert meetings.

  • On-the-fly O.R. broadcasting—Video transmission of a selected source can be quickly done by just one click on the Buzz user interface. Any PC or tablet connected to the hospital network can access streams, which can be flexibly configured for specific users, via a web browser
  • Safe and immediate transmission—Streamed content can be password encoded for added security. An optimized JPEG code ensures immediate transmission

You’ve seen how Brainlab Digital O.R. facilitates communication. Now learn more about integration, documentation and surgical planning in the operating room.

 

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