Microsoft is partnering with Stryker to help redesign operating rooms:
For as much as many are focused on the gaming and consumer-level productivity potentialities of XR, much of the progress in the field is happening in other markets, like industry and medicine. To wit, Microsoft announced that it's partnering with a medical technology company called Stryker to use HoloLens to design better operating rooms.
In a blog post, Microsoft explained that, "Everything from lighting, to equipment, tools, and even patient orientation, varies depending on who is using the operating room at any given moment. Equipment placement is critical as it effects [sic] ergonomics, efficiency, and task load, all of which have the potential to burden staff and slow procedures." To design better operating rooms, the company said, heads of multiple surgical disciplines need to physically meet to solve these issues, and a 3D design environment can help them do so much more efficiently.
From the blog post:
You may not be aware of it, but surgical disciplines from general, to urologic, orthopedic, cardiac, and ear nose and throat (ENT) use shared operating rooms. These specialties have widely different needs when it comes to operating room configuration and setup. Everything from lighting, to equipment, tools, and even patient orientation, varies depending on who is using the operating room at any given moment. Equipment placement is critical as it effects ergonomics, efficiency, and task load, all of which have the potential to burden staff and slow procedures.
Today, for hospitals to successfully design operating rooms that will accommodate these various medical disciplines, a critical meeting must take place. In this meeting, the heads of each surgical discipline, along with their staff, are physically present to outline the desired layout and implementation needed to successfully complete their procedures. This is a complicated and time-consuming process where people and a complex array of technology and equipment are shuffled around to determine what goes where, and when, to see how it will all fit.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday February 23 2017, @03:47AM
I've never given hospital or ER layout a lot of thought. (That despite the fact that I helped to build a hospital, believe it or not.) But, there must be something called "standards" involved. Probably different, competing standards. A big city traumy unit probably uses a different standard than a small town hospital that operates on 10 - 100 patients per month. Still, there probably are standards out there, and each hospital probably examines and modifies some standard for it's own use.
MS wants to re-write the standards? Whatever could the motivation be? Oh yeah - MONEY!! "Use our software, it's cheap cheap cheap, at $50,000/month for the life of your hospital!" Or, some such exorbitant arrangement. MS solicits the input of hundreds of specialists, they write their new standard, and they get all the money for the standards - and at the same time put some of those engineers and specialists out of a job.
Some would call that "efficiency".
And, 20 or 50 years down the road, every ER patient in America is paying the Microsoft tax before they are wheeled into the ER.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Thursday February 23 2017, @04:29AM
The thing about standards is there are so many to choose from.
Operating rooms are no longer one size fits all, and haven't been for a long time. ORs are as specialized as the disciplines that use them. Does Microsoft really think open heart surgery is performed in the same theater where Tonsils are removed and babies are born?
Nobody runs a major hospital that way? Even small towns don't work that way because they ship complex procedures to specialized regional hospitals with staff and specialized ORs.
I can't believe anyone will take them seriously.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 23 2017, @09:19AM
When you have a hammer everything looks like a nail. And Microsoft is looking for something to use their expensive hammers on.
I don't think sub-optimal operating theatres are a real problem.
The main problem I see is doctors in hospitals around the world seem to be rather overworked. That's likely to affect outcomes more than different operating theatres.
Some processes could be improved. Apparently in many hospitals it's not clearly defined who is in charge during patient hand-overs.
More hospitals should be looking into stuff like this:
http://www.post-gazette.com/health/2006/11/14/Hospital-races-to-learn-lessons-of-Ferrari-crew/stories/200611140234 [post-gazette.com]
The Ferrari man wasn't impressed. "In fact, he was amazed" at how clumsy and informal the hospital handover process appeared to be, recalls Mr. Catchpole, now a researcher at Oxford University.
In that meeting, Mr. Stepney described how each member of the Ferrari crew is required to do a specific job, in a specific sequence, and usually in silence. By contrast, he noted, the hospital handover was often chaotic. Several conversations between nurses and doctors went on at once. Meanwhile, different members of the team disconnected or reconnected equipment to a patient, but in no particular order.
In a Formula One race, the "lollipop man" with a paddle ushers the car in and signals the driver when it's safe to go. But in the hospital setting, it wasn't always clear who was in charge. Though the anesthesiologist had nominal responsibility to take the lead during a handover, sometimes the surgeon assumed that role -- or no one at all.
More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1527497/Ferrari-pit-stop-saves-Alexanders-life.html [telegraph.co.uk]
http://218.248.31.202/journal/article/2016-03-05%20%20Making%20case%20for%20quality%20Ferrari%20and%20Handovers-%20Devendra%20AEH%20Madurai%20-.pdf [218.248.31.202]
http://docplayer.net/34768421-Assessing-handovers-the-formula-1-model.html [docplayer.net]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 23 2017, @04:38AM
My guess? They aren't... not yet. But it's only a guess.
(reasoning: letting aside the different nature, I feel the situation is not dissimilar to a restaurant specialized in big functions, wedding or the like. They do have some principles of arranging their guest tables and the equipment they are going to use in the kitchen but, as every function will be different in menus, number of guests, theme etc, they'll adjust the placement to subordinate the "form" to the specific flow of the actions and schedule. If you want, think at the specific differences between projects vs operations: projects are one-off, operations are continuous repetition into a flow.
Yeah, OK, perhaps it makes sense to standardize a dentist room layout, but I would bet it's the same for an emergency operating theatre)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 23 2017, @04:52AM
I've never given hospital or ER layout a lot of thought. (That despite the fact that I helped to build a hospital, believe it or not.)
OK, now that Runaway has established his credentials, let's listen to what he has to say!
But, there must be something called "standards" involved. Probably different, competing standards.
Um, probably? There must be? But are there? We still don't know, Runaway! Tell us!
A big city traumy unit probably uses a different standard than a small town hospital that operates on 10 - 100 patients per month.
Maybe, maybe not. Could be. I still don't know after reading this. The only thing I am sure of now, is that Runaway his own self don't know.
Still, there probably are standards out there,
Probably. Maybe. Could be, or maybe not. My god this has been a profound and insightful contribution to the discussion here! If only we had more Runaways and less of those know-it-all SJWs.
Stand by for hilarity from the Trump Operating Room!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 23 2017, @05:20AM
Oh, the irony!
(like silvery, but with iron instead - now mod me insightful).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 23 2017, @05:39AM
Done. Probably. We have standards, maybe.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 23 2017, @03:11PM
You little huzzy - you've got the hots for Runaway1886. You like old dudes. Why don't you put on your shortest little skirt, and expose all your cleavage, and go visit him? What's the worst thing that could happen? His wife shoots you off the porch. What's the best thing that could happen? His wife shoots you off the porch. Go on, go for it. YOLO
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 23 2017, @06:39PM
Even Milo couldn't get away with pedophilia. What makes you think Runaway could?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 24 2017, @01:15AM
That's interesting. How many prepubescent members do we have on this site?