Abstract
BackgroundStudies have demonstrated that surgical safety checklists (SSCs) can significantly reduce surgical complications and mortality rates. Such lists rely on traditional posters or paper, and their contents are generic regarding the type of surgery being performed. SSC completion rates and uniformity of content have been reported as modest and widely variable.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the feasibility and potential of using smart glasses in the operating room to increase the benefits of SSCs by improving usability through contextualized content and, ideally, resulting in improved completion rates.MethodsWe prospectively evaluated and compared 80 preoperative time-out events with SSCs at a major academic medical center between June 2016 and February 2017. Participants were assigned to either a conventional checklist approach (poster, memory, or both) or a smart glasses app running on Google Glass.ResultsFour different surgeons conducted 41 checklists using conventional methods (ie, memory or poster) and 39 using the smart glasses app. The average checklist completion rate using conventional methods was 76%. Smart glasses allowed a completion rate of up to 100% with a decrease in average checklist duration of 18%.ConclusionsCompared with alternatives such as posters, paper, and memory, smart glasses checklists are easier to use and follow. The glasses allowed surgeons to use contextualized time-out checklists, which increased the completion rate to 100% and reduced the checklist execution time and time required to prepare the equipment during surgical cases.
Highlights
Reducing complications and deaths in operating rooms (ORs) due to human error is a big challenge for hospitals
We prospectively evaluated and compared 80 preoperative time-out events with surgical safety checklists (SSCs) at a major academic medical center between June 2016 and February 2017
Smart glasses allowed a completion rate of up to 100% with a decrease in average checklist duration of 18%
Summary
Background Reducing complications and deaths in operating rooms (ORs) due to human error is a big challenge for hospitals. More recent research shows that errors “arise not from the solitary actions of individuals but from conflicting, incomplete, or suboptimal systems [3].” These systems notably refer to the people involved http://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/4/e13447/ XSLFO RenderX. Human factor techniques investigate factors and develop tools that facilitate the achievement of goals (eg, reduce errors, increase productivity, improve safety) [4] In this view, among many different initiatives, the World Health Organization (WHO) has collected scientific evidence and published guidelines to address part of the problems with safety of surgical patients [5]. Studies have demonstrated that surgical safety checklists (SSCs) can significantly reduce surgical complications and mortality rates Such lists rely on traditional posters or paper, and their contents are generic regarding the type of surgery being performed. SSC completion rates and uniformity of content have been reported as modest and widely variable
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