Hospital OR Integration--ECRI Institute Free Infographic White Paper Addresses the Challenges

Many requests, overwhelming options, fuzzy ROI, and limited resources add up to a challenge for the Hospital C-suite

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ECRI Institute®, an independent nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, has released a new "Infographic White Paper," OR Integration, designed to help hospital administrators get an at-a-glance understanding of this growing and complex technology.

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An integrated OR gives surgical staff control of audio and video signal routing--including camera, video display monitor, and C-arm signals--from a centralized location within the operating room, perhaps also feeding information to nurse scheduling stations and to remote locations for educational purposes.

"Because of limited capital investment resources, the numerous requests for integrated operating rooms have created a real C-suite challenge," states Jennifer Myers, ECRI Institute's Vice President of SELECT Health Technology Services.  "Not only are the configuration options seemingly endless, but it is difficult to identify a quantifiable ROI."

To help sort out the options, the paper defines 3 scenarios:

• Modernizing a general OR
• Integrating a specialty OR (such as cardiovascular or hybrid)
• Building a state-of-the-art integrated OR for educational purposes

The paper also identifies three types of vendors: surgical video, A/V, and medical/surgical vendors. Market interest data from the ECRI Institute health technology services program's 2,500 members is revealed, including average, high, and low costs for each type of vendor and configuration scenario.

Return On Investment?  Nobody has made a convincing hard, quantifiable ROI case, but there are benefits outlined in the paper. There are ways to cut costs and 6 tips are listed. The 1st is purchasing your wall-mounted displays from a local video equipment retailer.

The new "infographic" style graphically displays to senior hospital staff a quick and helpful view of the issues surrounding OR Integration.  Simple illustrations and data-driven charts allow viewers to grasp the key concepts in minutes.

Download the full infographic white paper, OR Integration, from ECRI Institute's Web site at: https://www.ecri.org/Forms/Pages/OR-Integration-Infographic-White-Paper.aspx  (free with registration).

For additional information about OR Integration and the technology advisory services from ECRI Institute's SELECT program, please contact Jennifer Myers at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5287, or e-mail [email protected].  To learn more about ECRI Institute, contact us at [email protected], (610) 825-6000, or 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298 USA.

ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, brings the discipline of applied scientific research to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best, all to enable health care organizations to improve patient care. As pioneers in this science, they pride themselves in having the unique ability to marry practical experience and uncompromising independence with the thoroughness and objectivity of evidence-based research. ECRI Institute is designated as an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

SOURCE ECRI Institute