(Photo credit: Official U.S. Navy Page/Flickr)
When an airplane goes down, the black box on the flight is used to help investigators figure out what happened thanks to its flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
Dr. Teodor Grantcharov, who specializes in minimally invasive surgery, is working to adapt a similar concept into operating rooms through the use of cameras and microphones to track surgeries and prevent medical mistakes. This technology in his operating room captures a wealth of data, including conversations between healthcare staff, movement in the OR and a patient’s vitals. Since April, the program has been tested at St. Michael’s Hospital and they’ve already noticed that small changes can make a world of difference in the care a patient receives.
“This is the beauty of this project,” Dr. Grantcharov told the Canadian Press. “We can see things like getting prepared for the surgery, getting the right instruments, how these things can improve our flow and processes.”
These boxes are expected to be primarily used as learning tools with video capabilities that could let surgeons analyze and review the recordings to improve what happens in operating rooms.
“We define error as very, very minor deviation from the perfect course,” Dr. Grantcharov told the Globe and Mail. “People believe that surgeons are perfect and never make mistakes, and that’s not true, as long as there are humans there will always be mistakes. We have to be more transparent about our business.”
There’s a possibility that this technology could even be paired with Google Glass, but privacy concerns is one of the issues being raised. There’s a possibility that this data could be protected from use by patients filing malpractice claims, according to the Canadian Press, but it remains a detail that still needs to be figured out in its use.
The technology is also being tested in a hospital in pilot projects in Denmark and the United States and there’s a possibility it could be adopted by hospitals around the world.
Technology is changing the way medicine is practiced with robot-assisted surgeries no longer a pipedream.
Surgical errors can change a person’s life and unfortunately, one mishap can drastically affect a patient’s quality of living. A UK study found that during recovery, a patient is likely to experience four or five errors and the chances of death are higher on weekends with the hospital weekend effect.
The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been handling all types of injuries for over 40 years including injuries from negligent medical workers. We understand the impacts injuries can have on your life and we know how to help you. Call us at 416-920-4242. Set up a free consultation and come talk with us.