HD video helps meet surgical training needs

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has expressed concern about the impact that the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) is having on training. In its policy document it states: “A trainee needs a contract that guarantees protected training time and provides the necessary experience. The present contract is based on hours worked, in the drive to meet the EWTD, and has significantly failed.” Indeed, the statistics from the College’s August 2010 survey1 make compelling reading. They confirm that 65% of surgical trainees questioned reported a decline in training time in the operating theatre. Sixty-one per cent of consultants said that they are now operating without trainee assistance. Charlie Giddings, president of the Association of Surgeons in Training added: “The survey shows that 12 months after the full implementation of the Directive there has been little progress with improvements to quality of training or to the quality of life of trainees and the subsequent impact on patient safety. High quality training will produce the high quality surgeons of tomorrow. New innovative solutions are required, rather than minor short-term tweaks that artificially produce compliance at the expense of training and patient care, which Trusts have attempted so far.” New technology has a role to play in offering the “innovative solutions” mentioned by Mr Giddings. A current hot topic is high definition video integration. Of course, training and conferencing via live video is nothing new, but the commercialisation of high definition (HD) image capture and the development of the integrated theatre concept are an interesting advance in training practice. The fields of endoscopy and laparoscopy have been the early beneficiaries of this technology, and dedicated solutions are already serving these sectors. In reality, however there is no reason why all surgical and clinical disciplines should not take advantage of the opportunity that HD video provides.

Harnessed outputs

 Non-surgical cardiology is a good case in point, where there is an increasing move towards hybrid facilities that combine intervention and radiology. HD integrated video is a good fit for this discipline as it often involves multiple monitors whose outputs can be harnessed to provide a composite image of patient status. Specialists such as the live medical television company, Video South and medical technology company, TRUMPF Medical Systems, are now focusing their combined attention on those for whom there is no dedicated HD video integrated solution available. Their remit covers all areas of surgery outside the keyhole disciplines and they are achieving considerable success through what they describe as custom integration. In essence, the partnership provides bespoke solutions that are tailored to how the client wishes to communicate.