The Effect of Radiofrequency Technology on Time Spent Searching for Surgical Sponges and Associated Costs

Design and Early Evaluation of a Device to Improve the Sharp Count Process in Operating Rooms

NEED

Counting surgical sharps in surgeries mitigates the risk of retained surgical items in patients. Current procedures rely on manual counts throughout and at the end of each surgery. The manual count is lengthy, burdensome, and carries the risk of injuries.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

This paper presents the design and early evaluation of a technology aid to automatize the sharps' counting process; it is composed of a shell holding a set of optical sensors that count needles that pass through the shell's top slot.

PROOF OF CONCEPT

The device was tested with needles originating from 20 surgeries. Users surveyed reported a decrease in counting time and perceived injury risk. The average count error was 4.4%, indicating the need to continue advancing the technology.

NEXT STEPS

The counting technology needs to be refined to increase accuracy, and a user guide for the equipment must be prepared. Thereafter, a new set of trials must be performed.

CONCLUSION

Our work provides a detailed requirements list for developing a technology aid to improve the needle count process and investigates one possible technological route to address this problem.

The effectiveness of radiofrequency scanning technology in preventing retained surgical items: An integrative review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of radiofrequency (RF) scanning technology as an adjunct to manual counting protocols in preventing retained surgical items (RSIs) in the operating room.

BACKGROUND

Despite the implementation of rigorous manual counting protocols, RSIs remain one of the most common reported sentinel events in operating theatres that lead to adverse patient outcomes.

DESIGN

An integrative review.

METHODS

This review was guided by the framework. A literature search using CINAHL, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus with key search terms related to RSIs and RF was applied to select English articles from January 2011 till August 2021. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist was utilised for study quality assessment while reporting of review was guided using the PRISMA checklist.

RESULTS

A total of 15 peer-reviewed articles were included, enabling the knowledge on the RF scanning technology to be grouped into four themes, namely: detection accuracy of RF scanning technology, real-time detection of surgical items using RF identification, the impact of the RF scanning technology for detecting RSIs on patient safety, and cost-analysis of integrating the RF scanning technology in operating theatres.

CONCLUSION

Radiofrequency scanning technology is effective in preventing RSIs with significant cost-savings. Perioperative leaders should develop a multidisciplinary process to evaluate and select the most appropriate RF scanning technology as part of their patient safety programs. However, future studies with a larger sample size and robust research design, such as randomised controlled trial, should be considered to enhance the generalisability and rigour of evidence.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This review contributes to perioperative personnel's education/training of staff on using RF scanning technology to prevent RSIs. The cost-effectiveness analysis enables the healthcare leaders to decide on the selection of appropriate RF technology.

Using Radiofrequency Technology to Prevent Retained Sponges and Improve Patient Outcomes

Retained items (eg, sponges, sharps) after surgical procedures are reportable errors that can result in patient harm or death and increased patient and health care system costs. Perioperative use of radiofrequency (RF) technology may decrease the number of retained sponges and reduce hospital costs. We sought to determine whether the use of RF technology may be associated with fewer retained sponges, improved patient outcomes, and decreased hospital costs. We completed a retrospective evaluation of incident reports before and after implementing the use of an RF system for retained surgical sponges. We found that using RF technology was associated with fewer retained sponges and improved outcomes at our facility. We also determined that mortality rates before and after RF technology implementation were similar, and we estimated that our hospital's costs were reduced.