Real-Time Video Surveillance Improves Surgical Safety

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 21 Dec 2015

A new study finds that third-party remote video auditing (RVA) with real-time feedback dramatically improves patient safety and efficiencies in the operating room (OR).

Researchers at North Shore-LIJ Health System (Lake Success, NY, USA) conducted a cluster randomized study in a 23-operating room (OR) suite at the Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center (New Hyde Park, NY, USA) to evaluate the impact of RVA with real-time provider feedback on OR surgical checklist compliance. OR’s were randomized to receive or not receive real-time feedback on surgical safety checklist compliance and efficiency metrics via display boards and text messages, followed by a period where all 23 ORs received feedback.

Image: Wide-angle camera displaying blurred image of OR and use of yellow surgical safety checklist (Photo courtesy North Shore-LIJ Health System).

The main outcomes and measures were checklist compliance. The results showed that by using RVA, sign-in, time-out and sign-out compliance rates increased from 25%, 16%, and 32% during baseline phase to 91%, 95%, and 84% (respectively) during the all-feedback phase. In addition to driving significant patient safety improvements, RVA also improved turnover times in between cases by 14% for all scheduled cases and 20% for "fast" scheduled cases. The study was published on December 11, 2015, in BMJ Quality & Safety.

“This study validates RVA technology as being able to significantly impact both surgical safety checklist compliance and OR efficiencies,” said senior author John Di Capua, MD, chair of the department of anesthesiology at North Shore-LIJ, and CEO of North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA; Melville, NY, USA). “It also demonstrates the importance of effective teamwork on improving patient safety.”

“Beginning in 2008, North Shore-LIJ became the nation's first health care provider to use video monitoring as part of our efforts to strengthen patient safety,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of North Shore-LIJ. “We are very pleased to be recognized by world-class medical journal, BMJ Quality and Safety, for using RVA to drive significant improvements in patient safety and efficiencies in the OR.”

Related Links:
North Shore-LIJ Health System
North American Partners in Anesthesia