steute Meditec at the Medica 2016

User interfaces for the integrated OR

In the modern OR, surgeons are faced with the task of operating a growing number of medical devices by foot control. This requires concentration, especially if the functions are arranged differently for each device. In addition, users will hardly be able to place all the different foot controls in ergonomically comfortable positions.

In the near future it will be possible to operate several medical devices using a single user interface. At the Medica 2016, the steute business unit Meditec will be showing implementation of this concept in practice: via a touchscreen surgeons can select the desired function of the device in question, which he then operates using a foot control from the steute Meditec standard range (Fig 1). If they would like to swop over from e.g. X-ray to ultrasound, or from navigation to table height, intuitive use of the touchscreen is sufficient and the central foot control will assume the different necessary functions. The current pedal settings are displayed for surgeons at all times.

Control systems in the OR thus become "interoperable". This can only work with common communication standards, currently being drawn up with the collaboration of steute Meditec. Very complex sequences, e.g. for surgical microscopes, can also be controlled in this way – with the result that surgeons can concentrate more fully on the actual surgery because they do not have to keep adjusting to different user interfaces.

From the standpoint of steute Meditec, the interoperability of medical devices is a key trend for medical equipment, and one which will become established in the next few years. In addition to the integration of OR devices via central user interfaces, an important role will also be played by integration at the IT level, i.e. inclusion of devices within superordinate hospital information system (HIS) networks.

steute Meditec is playing an active part in this development, including on the board of OR.NET e.V., the association pursuing the research activities of the lighthouse project OR.NET. Several renowned manufacturers of medical devices are already incorporating steute user interfaces in corresponding projects and demonstrators for interoperability in the OR.

steute Meditec at the Medica: Hall 11, Booth J39

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