Inventions

The ORF is a living laboratory that explores new technology platforms and systems of care for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures. Accurate data capture and analysis,   multidisciplinary teamwork, and thoughtful integration of technology are the building blocks in this environment that optimizes patient safety and comfort, staff satisfaction, and financial efficiency. The ORF is a testament to the power of collaboration. Launched in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in August of 2002, as a fully functional OR for minimally invasive procedures as well as for open surgery. It   represents an extraordinary convergence of disciplines – clinicians,   institutions, and private companies – all brought together by CIMIT, and major financial and intellectual investments by all parties.

Advanced by critical   partnerships, a number of pioneering programs are currently being explored in   the ORF:  Real-time workflow process improvement including parallel processing, novel IT architecture, asset management and patient tracking solutions; Clinical decision support systems combining patient-specific data   with intelligent devices to create a perioperative zone of safety; Leading a national initiative on technology integration and open Plug-and-Play standards for medical devices; and Measuring outcomes to inform "evidence-based" OR facility design. With this living, working, flexible learning environment, CIMT and MGH clinicians have been altering surgical care delivery. Beyond the ORF per se, procedures and workflow techniques developed here have propagated to the   conventional ORs and have improved them through education, as well as by raising expectations of what is possible and by evaluating and choosing the best of technologies. Through our research, we will understand factors for optimal facility design, technology requirements, and deliver specifications for optimal team design and training. Additionally, we expect to show reduced medical errors   and improved patient comfort and post discharge follow-up.