Why SDC benefits clinical stuff?

Continual developments towards technologisation and digitalisation mean that all clinical fields are currently undergoing an upheaval. Complex treatments make huge demands on hospital staff regarding the acquisition and processing of data, as well as the monitoring of supporting technical systems. Unfortunately, many areas are currently still characterised by low-level interoperability of these systems. Data or functions are only available in the individual devices themselves, and cannot be accessed via a superordinate infrastructure or other devices. The work of clinical staff is hampered by tasks which have nothing to do with their actual core task, the treatment of their patients.

The goal is to make available to the treating physician or surgeon all information and control options where he or she needs them in order to treat the patient. Only in this way is it possible to concentrate fully on patient care without having to interrupt a work process to search through files for data, change settings or read a value from a device located elsewhere. Sometimes such interruptions are not even possible because conditions elsewhere are non-sterile.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Rolf Rossaint

(President of the German Society for Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI))

 

„From the point of view of an anaesthetist, integration represents considerable added value. When we have intelligent and context-sensitive warning systems and clinical decision support systems, then we can guarantee more guideline adherence and better quality. And that is always a good thing for our patients.”
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“Telemonitoring also becomes possible if data are collected in the OR and sent to the consultant physician together with a video transmission. The consultant can then provide rapid support for assistant physicians, and especially in emergency situations valuable time can be saved. All in all, I believe that in the long term we cannot afford not to integrate medical equipment and information systems in the OR and hospital. Ultimately everybody profits. Not least the patients, but also the physicians with their simplified routines, and the device manufacturers who gain entry to this new market.”

From a clinical point of view, support of SDC as a new way of achieving interoperability for medical devices and IT systems has two aims:

  • improving clinical processes

  • increasing patient safety

Although SDC itself is only the basic technology, its applications contain huge potential for supporting hospital staff:

  • simplified device operation independently of specific manufacturers

  • increased flexibility in the selection of technical systems

  • collation of information where clinical staff need it

  • improved workflow through use of assistance systems and collated presentation and control at the point of concentration

Dr. Markus Pirlich,

Consultant ENT Physician at Leipzig University Hospital

 

”The seamless integration of different devices in the OR and hospital is an important topic. SDC will fundamentally change the way technical systems interact.”