What’s inside:
Tracking OR supplies is often problematic. This blog looks at the common issues of OR supply tracking and how new AI vision technology can transform perioperative documentation. Read how to:
- The reality of surgical supply documentation in OR.
- The common issues that prevent smooth OR supply tracking.
- Leveraging new technology to boost OR supply documentation
It’s time to put a stop to manual workarounds in OR! OR supply tracking is a regular headache, so let’s make it easy!
The reality of surgical supply documentation in OR
During a recent trip to a NY medical center, I observed two surgical procedures. I was impressed by the dedication and skill of the perioperative team and it was a great opportunity to see periop nurses in action, making sure everything ran smoothly.
However, I also witnessed the burden of manual workarounds on busy nurses. There were many times during the surgery that items wouldn’t scan in, or the system displayed an error.
The truth is that many nurses are using inadequate systems that simply can’t cope with the complexity of surgical supply documentation.
Isn’t it time to demand more from point of use systems?
The common issues that prevent smooth OR supply tracking
It all comes down to data
It’s clear that healthcare providers need more efficient ways to collect and manage inventory data.
Issues I’ve observed in many healthcare organizations:
❌ Numerous Item Master exceptions – due to out of date listings or unlisted items.
❌ Scanned barcodes not being recognized in the system.
❌ Item searches being made more difficult by lack of standardized product names.
❌ Uncertainty about the quantities of some items used, particularly loose, unpackaged items.
❌ New items having to be added to the system manually when they can’t be located, with many preferring to record them in nursing notes.
❌ Elongated processes to document consignment and bill-only items.
❌ Forgotten items, and products that are difficult to document, end up missing from surgery records.
These are just some of the issues that nursing staff have to deal with every day.
It’s just not good enough that surgical supply tracking is so difficult. Nurses deserve a system that routinely and automatically documents each item without the need for any manual workarounds.
Leveraging new technology to boost OR supply documentation
If it doesn’t work, upgrade it
Consumption data is vital. It feeds into the operational, administrative and clinical workflows that drive through healthcare delivery.
When bad data is in the system, it missteers everyone, compromising care, costs and profits.
It’s time to find a new way to document supply consumption in surgery.
In 2024 you should expect your point of use system to track all types of inventory without the need for any keying in.
Image recognition and AI are transforming point of use supply tracking
Enter AI-vision
The newest method of point of use surgical supply data collection is image recognition technology twinned with AI.
Computer vision:
- Uses camera technology to convert product packet images into digital data.
- Has broken free from reliance on the local Item Master by tapping into a product data lake in the cloud.
- Ensures 100% item and charge capture at the point of use – delivering full, timely surgical documentation with ease.
Looking to optimize your point-of-use supply tracking for more efficient OR management?
Contact us to discuss AI solutions that will simplify your OR workflows and optimize your supply usage data.
See Snap&Go‘s OR supply tracking capabilities. This is AI vision technology in action:
