Technology
NHS, there are significant blockers to this kind of transparency, and this kind of information is often segmented, gated, and difficult to access.
A digital platform for operating theatre teams In the age of personalised technology, surgical care providers are increasingly turning to staff-centred solutions to drive changes in team behaviour and improve outcomes. To this end, Incision Assist is a platform built specifically for theatre teams to access their surgeon-specific workflows, materials lists, and theatre setups. The platform comprises an app (mobile and Web) and content management system, giving all team members access to their information irrespective of time or location. For the user, Assist is organised per specialty,
per procedure, and per surgeon. Protocols are broken into sections, including theatre setup, patient positioning, materials, draping, surgical steps, and postoperative instructions. There are also features to take notes and post team updates. Using optimised user-centric technology, Assist provides all theatre staff with a definitive point of reference for each surgical case. This enables teams to prepare optimally for each procedure, safe in the knowledge that only the materials necessary for that surgery and that surgeon are those they get ready. Assist is proven to improve the efficiency
of theatre teams in setting up for each case. In an observational study of 15,000 elective procedures, teams using Assist showed significant improvements in preparation and
performance, reflected in a 15% reduction in turnover times between cases [article in submission]. Assist enables teams to organically drive changes in their behaviour, starting with enhanced alignment and increased confidence levels and leading to objective improvements in operational performance and staff satisfaction. By replacing and centralising traditional (often paper-based) protocols and material lists, Assist makes changes in workflows tangible and intuitive for staff; teams work differently because all their reference information is now contained in the app. Numerous hospitals in and outside the UK are now using Assist to streamline critical elements of their workflows, improve efficiency, cut costs, and reduce waste.
Knowledge is power: a mandate for change Most of us know that significant waste is generated in the operating theatre. When asked, theatre staff resoundingly want to reduce waste and mitigate their environmental impact. A multi-centre study of surgeons found that 95% were willing to modify their workflow to reduce waste.21
In cataract surgery, 92% of those
surveyed felt that operating room waste has become excessive and needs to be reduced, and 99% were concerned about global warming and strongly wanted more reusable options.22 In 2020, NHS England set out a roadmap
towards making the NHS the first Net Zero health service globally by 2045 in their report Delivering a Net Zero Health Service.23
Part of
this plan involves “decarbonising the supply chain”, whereby carbon-generating resources, including single-use equipment, must be used more efficiently. Digital solutions like Assist are ideally poised to help hospitals achieve this goal by enabling transparency to see, curate and rationalise the exact supplies used for each procedure. In 2022, a team from Birmingham Foundation
Trust performed the world’s first Net Zero carbon operation by making several changes to their standard practice, including switching to reusable gowns, drapes, and scrub caps; recycling single-use equipment; using individually packed equipment (as opposed to single-use equipment bundled together), and only opening items as they were required.24 By recording only what instruments and
materials are needed for each procedure and each surgeon, Assist supports efforts such as these to eliminate waste caused by preparing and then discarding items that are not required. Driving sustainable changes in healthcare is
An example of a protocol in Incision Assist, showing a surgeon-specific materials setup for total knee arthroplasty.
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I January 2025
challenging. To succeed, we need technological solutions that empower us to make transparent
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