Facilitation of surgical innovation: Is it possible to speed the introduction of new technology while simultaneously improving patient safety?

Objective: To review efficiency metrics and patient safety data before and after implementation of a structured review process for surgical innovations. Summary Background Data: Surgical innovation ranges from minor incremental improvement to radical experimentation. Although innovation paradigms have been described, these are not widely adopted or enforced in the surgical community. Methods: A Continuous Quality Improvement Team (CQIT) of surgical quality officers and perioperative nurses was organized to perform structured reviews of proposed new surgical devices and procedures at a large quaternary cancer care center. The CQIT process was placed to precede an established Value Analysis Team business evaluation. Pre- and post-CQIT implementation metrics of approval process efficiency and patient safety data were compared. Seven novel procedures were also vetted by the CQIT. Results: Forty-six product requests were evaluated after CQIT implementation. Compared with 34 products evaluated prior to CQIT establishment, the total mean evaluation time decreased from 124 to 51 days (P ¼ 0.007). For new devices requiring intraoperative trial, the time between product proposal and trial decreased from a mean of 260 to 99 days (P ¼ 0.014). The rate of device-related complications in the pre-CQIT group was 10% compared with 0% post-CQIT. Two devices, which administratively bypassed CQIT review, had both minor and major complications, including a mortality. Five novel procedures approved by CQIT with simulation were performed without complications. Conclusions: Using novel algorithms, the addition of a dedicated team of surgical quality officers to the surgical innovation evaluation process improved both the efficiency and the safety associated with introducing new devices and procedures into practice.