Inaugural speech: 'Clinical process technology crucial for reducing workload in and around operating room'
Long waiting lists, delayed surgeries and high costs. According to professor of Medical Process Engineering, John van den Dobbelsteen, this is partly due to insufficient attention to the surgical process when implementing new technology. He wants to improve the interaction between medical staff and medical technology with the aim of reducing the workload. He will deliver his inaugural speech on 15 December.
More and more technological developments are finding their way into hospital operating rooms. "But instead of saving time and costs, they regularly have the opposite result," says John van den Dobbelsteen, recently appointed Medical Delta professor. "This is because healthcare staff are not actually trained to work with this kind of technology." This leads to inefficient work processes, but also poses risks if the technology is used incorrectly.
Less workload, more pleasure at work
With the shortage of medical staff and the ageing of our society, something has to change to ensure a future-proof healthcare system. Van den Dobbelsteen focuses on developing new medical technology that is not focused on medical procedures, but on supporting the staff in the operating room.
Using cameras, Van den Dobbelsteen and colleagues monitor all activities in a specially equipped research operating theatre. Artificial intelligence can then be used to recognise which activities are according to protocol or deviant. With this information, the work process can be adjusted and optimised.
John van den Dobbelsteen
"Based on this data, we also try to predict the next step in the work process, and then respond accordingly," says Van den Dobbelsteen. "Because everything is now recorded automatically, staff no longer have to do it themselves. We want to spare staff as many administrative and other non-clinical tasks as possible to reduce the workload and increase job satisfaction. This way, the staff can focus fully on the patient again."
Clinical technology
Van den Dobbelsteen is also programme director of the Clinical Technology study, which recently received the designation Top Study Programme. This is a joint programme of TU Delft, LUMC and Erasmus MC. In this role, he is responsible for training clinical technologists. This is a relatively new medical profession in which technological and medical knowledge come together to improve patient care.
Inaugural address
On 15 December, Van den Dobbelsteen will deliver his inaugural speech entitled 'The glass operating theatre: transparent and fragile'. It can be followed live and watched retrospectively via this link.