OP-Check

To reduce potential risks during surgical procedures, the WHO developed the "Surgical Safety Checklist" in 2008 for the briefing in the operating room. The active management of safety-relevant information by the entire surgical team led to a significant reduction in complications. Due to the proven clinical benefits, the checklist was widely used and standardized. In practice, however, the use of this paper-based checklist poses major challenges for the OR team: increased time expenditure, insufficient integration into existing work processes and the resulting acceptance problems. At Graz University Hospital, a paper-based checklist was gradually implemented and iteratively developed from 2013 onwards. This revealed acceptance problems that only partially improved over the years despite intensive training efforts. Increasing digitalization in the healthcare sector creates the opportunity to offer users added value in the form of decision-making and process support, thereby increasing acceptance.

The design and development of the digitized OP- check system was carried out in an interdisciplinary manner together with future users in a co-creation process. This included interdisciplinary focus groups and interviews, as well as process observations and workshops. The piloting and clinical evaluation of the OP-check system was carried out in 2021 on selected wards at the two KAGes sites in Deutschlandsberg and Graz.