Research group for Media, Innovation and Communication Technologies

Telesurgery – Remote visualization of surgical images

About

The Telesurgery project focuses on today’s operating room and how a transformation towards a Digital Operating Room Platform can be realized. Current practices indicate a lack of integration of equipment in the operating room, which induces problems in keeping the operating room a clean and sterile environment. It is a challenge to achieve the required flexibility, operating room efficiency and patient safety within a densely and cluttered setting full of cables and equipment.

The aim is to develop a Digital Operating Room Platform which integrates video, lighting, recording and information sharing equipment via a central hub. This will increase the operating room efficiency and patient safety through optimizing information distribution and display, time, space and expertise.

Furthermore, this project will develop basic technology for remote visualization of surgical images within the hospital and other outside environments. This way the distribution of medical information will increase the quality of care by means of collaboration.

Research design

MICT will be involved in the user research by designing use scenarios and requirement translation. Two main domains of expertise will be applied in the project:

  1. The assessment of the potential of several use scenarios for the technology being researched, using the Product Specific Adoption Potential methodology (PSAP). The PSAP-scale is a quantitative intention survey method in which respondents are classified as innovators, early adopters, majority or laggards. This way a reliable estimation of adoption potential is provided.
  2. The Quality of Service/Quality of Experience research of medical image presentation. These concepts imply a user-centric approach which concentrates on the experience of users as key to the success of innovations.

Publications

Elprama, S., Kilp, K., Duysburgh, P., Jacobs, A., Vermeulen, L., & Van Looy, J. (2013, May). Identifying barriers in telesurgery by studying current team practices in robot-assisted surgery. Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare, Venice, Italy.

Duration of the project

The project runs from 01/07/2010 - 31/12/2012.

Staff involved

  • Prof. dr. Jan Van Looy
  • Lotte Vermeulen

Clusters

  • ICT & Society

Financed by

  • iMinds