Medical equipment is implemented in highly complex hospital environments, such as operating rooms, in hospitals around the world. In operating rooms (ORs), technological equipment is used for surgical activities and activities in support of surgeries. The implementation of government policies in hospitals has resulted in varying implementation activities for (medical) equipment. These result in varying lead times and success rates. An integral and holistic protocol for implementation does not yet exist. In this study, we introduce a protocol for the implementation of (medical) equipment in ORs that consists of implementation factors and implementation activities. Factors and activities are based on data from a systematic literature review and an explorative survey among surgical support staff on factors for the successful implementation of technological and (medical) equipment in ORs. The protocol consists of five factors and related implementation activities: the establishment of a project plan, organisational preparation, technological preparation, maintenance, and training.
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Implementing new information systems and devices, in high-reliability organizations such as operating rooms (OR’s) in hospitals, is complex. To improve the success and efficiency of these implementations we constructed a protocol for implementation for digitization and devices in OR’s. This protocol consists of implementation factors, implementation activities, and implementation instructions. In this study, we evaluated this protocol. To gather data, we organized three focus group sessions with participants holding different job roles at different departments: a surgeon, a methodologist, anesthesiologists, a scrub nurse, a training officer, innovations officers, and OR-management. We gathered qualitative data regarding completeness, clearness, and the ability to execute. Sessions were video-recorded, transcribed, and coded in Nvivo for Windows according to Toulmins Argumentative Pattern. Based on this analysis, revisions to factors, activities, and instructions are presented for protocol enhancement; experts confirm that an implementation protocol is needed to increase implementation efficiency and adoption of new devices.
Digitization of activities in hospitals receives more attention, due to Covid-19 related regulations. The use of e-health to support patient care is increasing and efficient ways to implement digitization of processes and other technological equipment are needed. We constructed a protocol for implementation and in this study, we evaluate this protocol based on a case to implement a device in the OR. We used various data sources to evaluate this protocol: semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and project documents. Based on these findings, this protocol, including identified implementation activities and implementation instructions can be used for implementations of other devices. Implementation activities include setting up a project plan, organizational and technological preparation, maintenance, and training. In future research, these activities and instructions need to be evaluated in more complex projects and a flexible tool needs to be developed to select relevant activities and instructions for implementations of information systems or devices.
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