3 results of the use of audio-visual automation solutions for operating rooms

While universities and schools are still the main consumers of such systems, the trend indicates that the use of audio-visual automation solutions for operating theatres is growing, as hospitals increasingly use this technology to keep patients engaged, share health information and communicate quickly between offices or departments within the health centre.

Reaching patients and improving staff communications are valuable examples of the benefits of these audio-visual automation solutions for operating theatres during medical care. But these uses only scratch the surface. These audio-visual systems in operating theatres and hospitals also offer opportunities to improve diagnosis and treatment itself.

In this sense, the purpose of this article is to explore how the new imaging technologies for the integration of operating theatres make these cleanrooms more collaborative work environments and how a systems integrator bidding for jobs in hospitals and healthcare facilities can offer these benefits to potential clients.

Is the use of audio-visual automation solutions for operating theatres a novel resource?

No, there is nothing new in the use of this type of audiovisual solutions for operating theatres. Many surgical facilities use these audiovisual systems to integrate their equipment. However, as in other industries, audiovisual resources in healthcare have always had their limitations.

Distance factors are an increasing problem. Dedicated cables, complex switching systems or proximity to infrared emitters were needed for equipment to communicate properly. In the last 10 years, hospitals have joined other industries in switching to automated audio and video systems. 

This is because as networks have become more affordable, there has been a dramatic shift in the transmission of video over networks. Today this technology is used everywhere, in every business, as well as in healthcare and education.

Operating theatres will benefit from this switch in multiple ways, because modern surgeries use a wide range of imaging tools, such as endoscopy cameras, patient monitors and other equipment. In the past, configuring these tools to work together required time, technical expertise and a large amount of funds, and represented a risk because of the large amount of cables and equipment that had to be used, but that has been greatly reduced.

As audiovisual-based surgical tools have improved care, they have also made the surgeon's job harder in some ways. Why? Because the traditional way to use video in the operating room was to place a medical device designed with an exploratory camera to view the inside of the body and connect it to the screen on top of the cart, but this setup often obstructed the surgeon's line of sight or required fatiguing body positions for the surgeon.

But in 2016, Oslo University Hospital in Norway became the first healthcare facility to integrate an operating theatre with audiovisual automation solutions, and today a host of medical teams around the world are pushing for continuous improvements, because systems that provide real-time feedback improve both patient care and efficient use of operating space.

In this sense, what are the benefits of using audio-visual automation solutions for operating theatres?

Why should operating theatres, hospitals and surgery centres implement audio-visual automation solutions?

Here are the three main benefits for healthcare providers:

1. Reducing health care costs

   Healthcare costs are an almost universal concern, particularly in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centres. But implementing such a system does not have to be expensive, and in many cases the system helps recover its own installation costs.

   For example, a facility that already has an existing LAN infrastructure can often implement new audio-visual technologies for operating rooms by connecting them to the hospital LAN. In fact, this internal network infrastructure can increase range and improve signal quality, and highly detailed video may be just what the doctor ordered for the collaborating OR teams.

   Finally, many healthcare providers are discussing ways to future-proof operating theatre technologies. For example, as a hospital's chief audiovisual officer, or chief medical officer, you could promote your surgical suite as one that allows you to be focused on expanding the scope of medical service. This forward-looking approach anticipates reducing costs by seeking audio-visual solutions that will not become instantly obsolete or require costly, customised upgrades in the future.

2. Creating greater efficiency and flexibility

   Analogue audio-visual systems offered a multitude of different video standards, and convincing these systems to communicate with each other efficiently can require significant time, technical capacity and investment in specialised equipment. In contrast, with OR AV automation solutions, audio and video source signals become a common IP standard that allows them to be integrated, managed and distributed over most standard data networks.

   In addition, because an AV system can send signals using conventional IP switches and CAT5e or CAT6 cables, the distance limitations faced by other AV systems can be overcome. While some AV systems for operating theatres require components to be within a certain distance of each other to communicate effectively, IP does not impose this limitation. Ending the distance limit is especially valuable for large hospitals and surgery centres, as it makes communication between specialists possible even when they are physically located on separate floors or across the campus.

3. Improving the quality of care provided

   Operating room audio-visual automation solutions can help operational teams improve the quality of healthcare delivery in a number of ways. Not only can operational teams consult with specialists immediately, but they can also control the number of people in the operating theatre by using IP-based systems to communicate with team members who need to be involved, but who may not be in the operating theatre itself.

   In fact, fewer people in the operating room, such as medical students, reduces a patient's potential exposure to infectious agents at a crucial time. In this sense, audio-visual automation systems for operating rooms also simplify a care provider's ability to process and understand images and data, while freeing up floor space for patient care.

   By putting all relevant images on one screen, this greatly simplifies connectivity between rooms, reduces cable costs and reduces the size and complexity of routing equipment out of the OR.

   Similarly, audio-visual automation solutions for operating theatres can enable tools that, in turn, can be used to replace low-tech options. For example, digital signage in operating units and facilities can replace printed signs that would otherwise have to be changed several times a day, and could endanger patients if not changed.

   For example, it is possible to have a digital sign on each operating theatre door linked to the patient's medical record. The sign is automatically updated with patient allergies, identifying information or other needs, without staff having to remember to change a paper sign.

If you are interested in learning more about audiovisual automation solutions for operating theatres, we invite you to learn more about the best practices for the implementation of telemedicine software in Colombiaas well as to subscribe to our Newsletter, a newsletter that will provide you with technical content on new automation technologies for companies in various sectors.