OR Black Box technology is a system in the operating room that collects sounds, pictures, patient status information, activities in the room, and information from the equipment.
Quality and Safety
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Why Tracking Our Performance Matters
We think it’s important to measure quality and safety information and make it readily available for two primary reasons:
- It helps us continually improve every aspect of patient care.
- It assists our patients with making informed decisions regarding their medical care.
To better serve our patients, we take into account many different types of measures for quality and safety and compare ourselves at the national and state level. These measures show how UT Southwestern has been doing at providing the right care for certain common conditions and keeping patients safe.
Preventive Care
Preventive care includes making sure all patients are evaluated (and treated) for conditions including the flu and hospital-acquired blood clots. Preventive care should happen when patients are in the hospital, in order to provide the best outcomes.
Flu Vaccine
The influenza vaccine is the most effective method for preventing the flu and its complications. This core measure of patient care shows the percentage of patients who were assessed for the flu vaccine and then given it when it was recommended.
- How UT Southwestern performs: UT Southwestern Medical Center’s influenza vaccination rate is close to 100%. This outperforms the national average and reflects our status as a leader in patient care. For these scores, a higher number is better.
Life-Saving Care
Academic medical centers like UT Southwestern tend to take care of very sick patients and handle very complicated cases. As a result, we track 30-day death rates, which tell us how many patients die relative to what is expected, given a variety of complicating characteristics. These characteristics include age, chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart failure, and whether the patient was transferred from another hospital or admitted as an emergency.
The scores below show the percent of patients who died, for any reason, within 30 days of going into the hospital.
- How UT Southwestern performs: UT Southwestern Medical Center’s heart failure patients experience a lower death rate than the national average. We meet the national average for death rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart attack, and coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) patients. For these scores, a lower number is better. “No Different than the National Rate” means that statistically our hospitals perform the same as the national average. Pneumonia wasn't reported during this timeframe due to COVID-19.
Heart Failure
The chart below shows the number of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction followed at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the number and rates of the 4 pillars of guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT) prescribed for these patients over a two-year period for both UT Southwestern overall and for patients followed specifically in the Heart Failure clinic.
The medications are ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor)/ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker)/ARNI (angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor); BB (β-blockers); MRA (mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist); SGLT2i (sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor).
Patient Satisfaction
We encourage our patients and families to share their care and treatment experiences. One of the ways we learn about our patients’ feedback is through a survey called the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS).
- How UT Southwestern performs: UT Southwestern performs significantly higher than the national average for both overall rating as well as the percentage of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital. We are proud of our commitment to patient satisfaction and continually strive to improve our patients’ hospital experience.
The OR Black Box
What is the purpose?
The OR Black Box program helps doctors improve surgeries, which keeps patients healthier. It also helps lower health care costs and ensures people receive good value for their money.
How does it work?
The OR Black Box records sounds and pictures from the operating room, along with data from different patient monitors and medical tools such as the anesthesia machine and surgical robots. It compiles all this information for a post-surgery review designed to help health care workers understand where improvements can be made.
Who gets to see the information, and how do we make sure people’s privacy is protected?
Even though a patient is recorded during the surgery, the person reviewing the footage does not know the identity of the patient. Any personal information is removed from the audio and video before being reviewed. When UT Southwestern receives the information, it is made anonymous and is protected by privacy agreements. Also, all the data is sent securely using special encryption to keep it safe.
Can I see the pictures or video of my surgery?
The recordings are designed for quality review purposes and are only available for that process. The recordings are not part of your medical record, which means they are not available to you and other entities such as insurance companies.
What is the point of OR Black Box reviews?
The OR Black Box reviews help surgical teams assess performance in the operating room and identify potential improvements. This can mean finding ways for surgeons to be more cautious, helping nurses prepare more quickly, and ensuring that everyone on the surgical team communicates well so that they work together as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Am I charged for this? Will this make my surgery cost more?
There is no additional charge and no impact on the cost of your procedure.
Do I have to sign a consent?
Before your surgery, you give permission for the procedure to happen; this permission includes an authorization for the use of the OR Black Box technology. If you have any questions, your surgeon can tell you more about the OR Black Box technology and what happens with the collected information.
Where can I find out more information?
Media coverage of OR Black Box technology
- Black Box Technology Shines Light on Improving OR Safety, Efficiency
- Hospital ‘Black Boxes’ Put Surgical Practices Under the Microscope
- New Technology Is Transforming the Operating Room
- How 4 hospitals are improving their ORs with black box technology
- Surgical Safety Technologies joins Wellcome Leap's SAVE Program to Shorten MD Surgeon Training Time, Certify non-MD Practitioners Worldwide
Additional Resources
To learn more about quality and safety measures, we encourage you to check out the following resources:
- Medicare’s Hospital Compare: A tool provided by the government to compare how well the hospitals in a particular area care for all their adult patients with certain medical conditions.
- U.S. News & World Report: Compare hospital performance in adult and pediatric clinical specialties, procedures, and conditions. Scores are based on several factors, including survival, patient safety, and nurse staffing.
- The Joint Commission: This independent group accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs and includes information on quality and safety.
- Healthgrades: This website provides comprehensive information – including patient reviews – about physicians and hospitals.
- Leapfrog: This website offers detailed ratings and reports showing how hospitals perform.