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Abraham J, Meng A, Montes de Oca A, Politi M, Wildes T, Gregory S, Henrichs B, Kannampallil T, Avidan MS. An ethnographic study on the impact of a novel telemedicine-based support system in the operating room. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022; 29:1919-1930. [PMID: 35985294 PMCID: PMC10161534 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocac138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Anesthesiology Control Tower (ACT) for operating rooms (ORs) remotely assesses the progress of surgeries and provides real-time perioperative risk alerts, communicating risk mitigation recommendations to bedside clinicians. We aim to identify and map ACT-OR nonroutine events (NREs)-risk-inducing or risk-mitigating workflow deviations-and ascertain ACT's impact on clinical workflow and patient safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used ethnographic methods including shadowing ACT and OR clinicians during 83 surgeries, artifact collection, chart reviews for decision alerts sent to the OR, and 10 clinician interviews. We used hybrid thematic analysis informed by a human-factors systems-oriented approach to assess ACT's role and impact on safety, conducting content analysis to assess NREs. RESULTS Across 83 cases, 469 risk alerts were triggered, and the ACT sent 280 care recommendations to the OR. 135 NREs were observed. Critical factors facilitating ACT's role in supporting patient safety included providing backup support and offering a fresh-eye perspective on OR decisions. Factors impeding ACT included message timing and ACT and OR clinician cognitive lapses. Suggestions for improvement included tailoring ACT message content (structure, timing, presentation) and incorporating predictive analytics for advanced planning. DISCUSSION ACT served as a safety net with remote surveillance features and as a learning healthcare system with feedback/auditing features. Supporting strategies include adaptive coordination and harnessing clinician/patient support to improve ACT's sustainability. Study insights inform future intraoperative telemedicine design considerations to mitigate safety risks. CONCLUSION Incorporating similar remote technology enhancement into routine perioperative care could markedly improve safety and quality for millions of surgical patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Abraham
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Institute for Informatics, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Alicia Meng
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Arianna Montes de Oca
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Mary Politi
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Troy Wildes
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Stephen Gregory
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Bernadette Henrichs
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Goldfarb School of Nursing, Barnes-Jewish College, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Thomas Kannampallil
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Institute for Informatics, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael S Avidan
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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