Maria Middelares increases cardiovascular team confidence: 90% feel better prepared
better prepared for emergency cases
more confident scrubbing or circulating
feel Assist helps reduce stress in the OR
Background
Maria Middelares is a non-profit healthcare organization in Belgium comprising two general hospitals and two medical centers, with over 700 beds and 27 ORs. In cardiovascular surgery, four full-time surgeons perform over 700 procedures a year in specialized operating teams of cardiac anesthetists, perfusionists, and OR nurses.
Historically, cardiovascular rotations at Maria Middelares presented new OR staff a steep learning curve, with frequent exposure to emergencies and reliance on complex technology, leading them to lean heavily on preceptors to build up the knowledge base for these procedures. For Maria Middelares, optimizing the confidence and preparedness of their cardiovascular teams presented a high-impact way to drive up performance in the OR.
Change
Prior to rollout across all service lines and all ORs, the Ghent location of Maria Middelares began using Assist to support staff in their cardiovascular ORs. This involved the digital capture of all preference cards and workflows of their four cardiac surgeons, and guided implementation of the platform for all cardiovascular team members.
To measure the impact of Assist on levels of confidence, stress, and preparedness, Incision conducted T0 and T1 surveys of users over the six month surrounding implementation. The majority of respondent were OR nurses (62%) and circulating nurses (15%). The largest group (33%) had 3-5 years of experience in their role, followed by those with < 1 year (25%) and 1-2 years (16.7%).
Impact
After six months sustained usage, 90% of respondents report feeling better prepared for cardiovascular cases with Assist; in particular, staff cited the benefits they experienced in emergency surgeries and procedures they performed less often. For both junior and more senior staff, confidence levels in scrubbing and/or circulating were increased in 80% of Assist users. Of all T1 respondents, 90% stated that Assist enabled their teams to function more efficiently, and 70% felt that Assist both helped to reduce stress, and saved them time across key perioperative activities.
The degree of trust in the usefulness of Assist expressed at Maria Middelares showcases its ability to drive positive changes at the level of the OR team. Significant improvements in confidence and preparedness enables team members to work from a position of support and empowerment, contributing to a culture of transparency and well-being in the OR. Assist has now been rolled out for all surgical service lines at Maria Middelares.
OR Nurse, Cardiovascular Surgery, Maria Middelares, Belgium
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