Q
What role should wireless technology play in ORs?
A
The only reason you'd want wireless is if the OR wasn't wired
right in the first place and doesn't have enough wiring to do its
job, or if you're rolling something in for a test or a trial. You want
permanent connections for most of your settings because it's safer
and more reliable. If there's a radio tower or TV station nearby, you
don't want anything like that interfering with your wireless signals.
It's always better to hard-wire things if you can.
One of the wireless trends you could see in the near future is in
the areas of discoverability and traceability. The ultrasound you roll
into a room and plug in today could one day have a wireless pack
and connect to the in-room routing system that acknowledges that
the machine entered the room and will associate it with that patient.
The system could also verify that the scope has been sterilized and
is working properly.
Q
Any advice about recording video?
A
First, I would strongly encourage a facility to use the same type of
devices in all their ORs. If there are 3 different products in a 10-OR
facility, it could create a nightmare when it comes to HIPAA tracking
and who sees what. I think we'll see facilities have a system that
records video and stores it in one place instead of multiple places, and
won't have doctors walking out with thumb drives that have patient
data on them that's not traced.
One nice new recording technology involves cameras suspended from
separate arms in the ceiling. They give you different angles than the one
that's in the surgical light, which would be useful for remote-monitoring
and teaching purposes.
OSM
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