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Researchers use leading-edge technology to study teamwork and communication in the operating room
Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are studying whether improving teamwork and communication among operating room staff can make surgery safer for patients. Studies suggest that can be linked to problems with these 鈥渟oft skills鈥 during operations.
鈥淲hen I was a medical student we had lots of training in technical skills, like how to close an incision or insert a breathing tube. But there was less focus on soft skills like leadership, teamwork and communication,鈥 said project lead Dr. , a scientist and anesthesiologist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. 鈥淭oday medical staff receive more training in these areas, but we don鈥檛 know whether it鈥檚 making a difference to patient outcomes.鈥
Dr. Boet and his team have already studied the best ways to teach these skills during simulated scenarios. However, they did not have a way to measure whether these lessons were being applied in real-world operating rooms until now.
The research team partnered with Dr. and his team at St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital to implement an Operating Room Black Box庐 in one of the operating rooms at The Ottawa Hospital鈥檚 General Campus. This platform captures audio, video, patient vital signs and other information from the operating room environment.
This information will be used to identify trends in teamwork and communication, which the researchers will link to how well patients did after surgery. Information captured by the OR Black Box庐 will be used for research purposes only, and faces and voices will be altered to protect privacy.
鈥淗ealth-care providers are always looking for ways to make surgery safer and more efficient,鈥 said Dr. Nicole Etherington, member of the research team and clinical research associate at The Ottawa Hospital. 鈥淭his project gives us a unique opportunity to study how our operating room teams work together, to better understand what they are doing well and identify possible ways that they can improve.鈥
Understanding that surgery is already a stressful experience for patients, Dr. Boet鈥檚 team worked with patient advisors Maxime L锚 and Laurie Proulx to find the best way to explain to people why information from their surgery might be captured. Patients are told about the OR Black Box庐 before their surgery, and can choose to opt out at any time.
鈥淧ersonally, I wouldn鈥檛 have any problem with my surgery being recorded, because I know there are many safeguards in place to protect my personal information.鈥 said L锚. 鈥淭he more I get involved in this project, the more I am confident that it鈥檚 a good idea. It鈥檚 exciting to be part of something that could be such a breakthrough in health care.鈥
The Ottawa Hospital is the fourth hospital in Canada to implement the OR Black Box庐, and the first one outside of the Toronto area.
鈥淏y studying teamwork and communication, we can develop best practices that improve patient care, not only in Ottawa but around the world,鈥 said Dr. Boet.
More information:
Isabelle Mailloux Pulkinghorn
613.240.0275
[email protected]