Surgeons say they’re losing hundreds of work hours due to inefficient tech

24 June 2024, 16:15 published

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Outdated and inefficient tech is reported to waste huge amounts of time for surgeons, worrying new research has claimed.

The ‘State of Surgery in the US 2024 Report’ from Medtronic revealed America’s surgeons lose an average of four hours of worktime each week due to inefficient technologies.

An alarming three in four (74%) US surgeons say that the technology in their OR is inefficient, which they believe is impacting overall patient care.

Could technology help improve healthcare?

Over two-thirds (69%) of US surgeons now spend time outside of the hospital completing administrative tasks as a result of outdated technologies such as recording surgical video on USB sticks, DVDs, and taking manual notes.

Three-quarters (73%) said that the technology they have access to in the OR lags behind the general technology they use every day in their personal life, with four in five (82%) relying on generic consumer tech like WhatsApp, Zoom and FaceTime to share and view surgeries remotely due to the lack of dedicated surgical video streaming platforms. This also highlights an immense cybersecurity risk across the industry due to the use of noncompliant platforms.

Many (73%) report that current tech limits them from performing to the best of their ability, with two in three (62%) considering leaving the field due to feeling burnt out.

Medtronic Medical Surgical Portfolio EVP Mike Marinaro summarized: “Surgeons’ time is best spent helping patients.”

Besides improving worker productivity, the report also sheds some light on the role of AI and robotics in reducing errors in patient care, as well as the role of virtual reality in training.

While the healthcare systems of many countries worldwide continue to battle against rising costs, Medtronic’s study serves as a critical reminder that, by using the right technologies, surgeons could spend more time focusing on important patient care.