Being in the front line on every surgical procedure done in
the operating room, a surgical technologist have a direct influence on the
increasing cost in healthcare.
With the rising health expenditure in America which is
expected to be at an estimated 19 % of the U.S gross domestic product by 2020
(Center for Medicare & Medicaid Service, 2011), being efficient and
knowledgeable on what item to pull and open, equipment to set-up, instrument to
use, implants to have available and the individual surgeons preference
communicated in real time before the start of the surgical procedure could
significantly reduce if not eliminate waste (time and cost) and more
importantly promote patient safety.
Operating rooms are one of the most costly areas of hospital
operations. Despite the many initiatives adopted and implemented the OR’s cost
and potential operation profits are prone to an array of variables, one thing
is certain: Time is an OR’s most valuable resources. A slight delay in case start, lengthy turnover,
time spent gathering supplies, reviewing surgeons paper printed preference
card, looking for a missing equipment and figuring out operation and
configuration; attributes of an ineffective OR operation and process, can
severely hinder an OR’s efficiency and ability to maintain a positive
contribution margin.
Wearable technology
(Google Glass) can play a crucial part as an apparatus to improve
competency. Glass was originally marketed
only as a consumer device but most of its early adopters put the wearable to
work, using Glass to make their jobs more efficient. The recent launched of Google’s Glass at Work
program to promote development of enterprise base application gives
justification of adopting wearable technology with meaningful use in
healthcare.