Improving patient safety in the endoscopy unit: utilization of remote video auditing to improve time-out compliance

Setting Up an Ambulatory GI Endoscopy Suite in the USA-Anesthesia and Sedation Challenges

Gastrointestinal endoscopy units, both freestanding and associated with ambulatory surgical centers, are on the increase, and the trend is likely to continue. The concept is relatively new, and there are insufficient guidelines and a general dearth of information for prospective planners and physicians. Debate continues in areas such as the selection of patients, appropriateness of procedures, and access to tertiary care. Leaders often scramble to address both critical and non-critical issues, often after the center has opened to the public. They often encounter issues which were not anticipated. In this review, we have provided comprehensive and concise information on the various aspects of starting and running an endoscopy unit. Some of the areas considered are referral and recruitment systems, determination of the need and site selection, layout and regulations, aspects related to drugs, equipment, medical emergencies, and emergency room transfers, discharge criteria, post-discharge follow-up, and finally, we have addressed issues related to avoiding and managing cancelations. It is assumed that a majority of the procedures are performed with predominantly propofol-induced deep sedation.

Implementation of a Customized Safety Checklist in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Importance of Team Time Out-A Dual-Center Pilot Study

Background and Objectives: Checking and correctly preparing the patient for endoscopic procedures is a mandatory step for the safety and quality of the interventions. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance and necessity of a "team time out" as well as the implementation of a customized "checklist" before the actual procedure. Material and Methods: We developed and implemented a checklist for the safe conduct of endoscopies and for the entire team to thoroughly know about the patient's medical history. The subjects of this study were 15 physicians and 8 endoscopy nurses who performed overall 572 consecutive GI endoscopic procedures during the study period. Results: This is a prospective pilot study performed in the endoscopy unit of two tertiary referral medical centers. We customized a safety checklist that includes the steps to be followed before, during and after the examination. It brings together the whole team participating in the procedure in order to check the key points during the following three vital phases: before the patient falls asleep, before the endoscope is inserted and before the team leaves the examination room. The perception of team communication and teamwork was improved after the introduction of the checklist. The checklist completion rates, identity verification rates of patients by the endoscopist, adequate histological labeling management and explicit recording of follow-up recommendations are some of the parameters that improved post-intervention. Conclusions: Using a checklist and adapting it to local conditions is a high-level recommendation of the Romanian Ministry of Health. In a medical world where safety and quality are essential, a checklist could prevent medical errors, and team time out can ensure high-quality endoscopy, enhance teamwork and offer patients confidence in the medical team.

Interventions to improve the performance of upper GI endoscopy quality indicators

The promotion of quality and best practices in gastroenterology and endoscopy is an ongoing effort. For upper GI endoscopy, quality indicators derived from clinical studies and expert consensus have been long established but remain variably obtained. To date, data on interventions aimed to improve these indicators are scarce. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify interventions and measures demonstrated to improve the performance of previously established upper endoscopy quality indicators. We also identified evidence gaps and opportunities for improvement in this area.

Video recording emergency care and video-reflection to improve patient care; a narrative review and case-study of a neonatal intensive care unit

As the complexity of emergency care increases, current research methods to improve care are often unable to capture all aspects of everyday clinical practice. Video recordings can visualize clinical care in an objective way. They can be used as a tool to assess care and to reflect on care with the caregivers themselves. Although the use of video recordings to reflect on medical interventions (video-reflection) has increased over the years, it is still not used on a regular basis. However, video-reflection proved to be of educational value and can improve teams' management and performance. It has a positive effect on guideline adherence, documentation, clinical care and teamwork. Recordings can also be used for video-reflexivity. Here, caregivers review recordings together to reflect on their everyday practice from new perspectives with regard to context and conduct in general. Although video-reflection in emergency care has proven to be valuable, certain preconditions have to be met and obstacles need to be overcome. These include gaining trust of the caregivers, having a proper consent-procedure, maintaining confidentiality and adequate use of technical equipment. To implement the lessons learned from video-reflection in a sustainable way and to continuously improve care, it should be integrated in regular simulation training or education. This narrative review will describe the development of video recording in emergency care and how video-reflection can improve patient care and safety in new ways. On our own department, the NICU at the LUMC, video-reflection has already been implemented and we want to further expand this. We will describe the use of video-reflection in our own unit. Based on the results of this narrative review we will propose options for future research to increase the value of video-reflection.

Checklist feasibility and impact in gastrointestinal endoscopy: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Background and study aim  Checklists prevent errors and have a positive impact on patient morbidity and mortality in surgical settings. Despite increasing use of checklists in gastrointestinal endoscopy units across many countries, a summary of cumulated experience is lacking. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the feasibility of successful checklist implementation in gastrointestinal endoscopy units and summarise the evidence of its impact on the commitment in safety culture. Methods  A comprehensive literature search was performed identifying the use of a checklist or time-out in endoscopy units from 1978 to January 2020 using OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases, with search terms related to checklist and endoscopy. We summarised overall adherence to checklists from included studies through a narrative synthesis, characterizing barriers and facilitators according to nurse and physician perspectives, while also summarizing safety endpoints. Results  The seven studies selected from 673 screened citations were highly heterogeneous in terms of methodology, context, and outcomes. Across five of these, checklist adherence rates post-intervention varied for both nurses (84 % to 96 %) and physicians (66 % to 95 %). Various facilitators (education, continued reassessment) and barriers (lack of safety culture, checklist completion time) were identified. Most studies did not report associations between checklist implementation and clinical outcomes, except for better team communication. Conclusion  Implementation of a gastrointestinal endoscopy checklist is feasible, with an understanding of relevant barriers and facilitators. Apart from a significant increase in the perception of team communication, evidence for a measurable impact attributable to gastrointestinal checklist implementation on endoscopic processes and safety outcomes is limited and warrants further study.

Remote video auditing in the endoscopy unit for evaluation of duodenoscope reprocessing in a tertiary care center

BACKGROUND : A significant proportion of duodenoscope-transmitted infections have resulted from errors related to reprocessing. Remote video auditing (RVA) is a tool that can monitor reprocessing compliance but it has not been previously evaluated in a tertiary care setting. The aims of this study were to evaluate: 1) RVA feasibility in a tertiary care setting (defined as the ability to audit every step of duodenoscope reprocessing without delaying the next procedure due to unavailability of duodenoscopes); and 2) the use of RVA as a compliance monitoring tool. METHODS : This was a prospective study at a tertiary care center. A video camera with offsite monitoring was installed in March 2018. Auditors delivered a compliance score after each procedure. The duodenoscope was not used until it passed the audit. Feasibility and compliance data were collected from April 2018 to August 2019 after a 1-month run-in phase. Both per-step compliance and overall 100 % compliance rates were measured. RESULTS : Of 743 duodenoscope reprocessing procedures, 32 666 individual steps were audited and 99.9 % of the steps were fully viewable. The mean time per audit was 38.3 minutes, the mean duodenoscope turnover time was 76.1 minutes, and there were no delays to the next procedure due to unavailability of duodenoscopes. The per-step compliance rate was 99.5 % but the overall 100 % compliance rate was 90.3 %. CONCLUSIONS : The use of RVA in duodenoscope reprocessing was feasible and promoted sustained high-level compliance in a tertiary care center.

Frontiers of Robotic Gastroscopy: A Comprehensive Review of Robotic Gastroscopes and Technologies

Simple Summary

With the rapid advancements of medical technologies and patients’ higher expectations for precision diagnostic and surgical outcomes, gastroscopy has been increasingly adopted for the detection and treatment of pathologies in the upper digestive tract. Correspondingly, robotic gastroscopes with advanced functionalities, e.g., disposable, dextrous and not invasive solutions, have been developed in the last years. This article extensively reviews these novel devices and describes their functionalities and performance. In addition, the implementation of artificial intelligence technology into robotic gastroscopes, combined with remote telehealth endoscopy services, are discussed. The aim of this paper is to provide a clear and comprehensive view of contemporary robotic gastroscopes and ancillary technologies to support medical practitioners in their future clinical practice but also to inspire and drive new engineering developments.

Abstract

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract pathology is common worldwide. With recent advancements in robotics, innovative diagnostic and treatment devices have been developed and several translational attempts made. This review paper aims to provide a highly pictorial critical review of robotic gastroscopes, so that clinicians and researchers can obtain a swift and comprehensive overview of key technologies and challenges. Therefore, the paper presents robotic gastroscopes, either commercial or at a progressed technology readiness level. Among them, we show tethered and wireless gastroscopes, as well as devices aimed for UGI surgery. The technological features of these instruments, as well as their clinical adoption and performance, are described and compared. Although the existing endoscopic devices have thus far provided substantial improvements in the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment, there are certain aspects that represent unwavering predicaments of the current gastroenterology practice. A detailed list includes difficulties and risks, such as transmission of communicable diseases (e.g., COVID-19) due to the doctor–patient proximity, unchanged learning curves, variable detection rates, procedure-related adverse events, endoscopists’ and nurses’ burnouts, limited human and/or material resources, and patients’ preferences to choose non-invasive options that further interfere with the successful implementation and adoption of routine screening. The combination of robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as remote telehealth endoscopy services, are also discussed, as viable solutions to improve existing platforms for diagnosis and treatment are emerging.