Fujita Eye Clinic builds surgical video library with Optical Disc Archive
Doctors and clinic staff can browse an extensive video library of ophthalmic surgical procedures stored on Optical Disc Archive for fast, easy access.
- Eye clinic required easy to use solution to archive surgical video with high image quality
- Need to link video footage of surgical procedures with electronic patient records
- Sony ODS-L30M Optical Disc Archive library master unit
- Footage of ophthalmic surgical captured using Sony HVO-3300MT video recorder
- More efficient patient care workflow
- Recordings of procedures support staff training
- Edited video footage presented at academic conferences
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Sony has a strong reputation as a manufacturer, but we felt that it also had the development capabilities to solve on-site issues as a system integrator.
Dr Yoshifumi Fujita,
Director, Fujita Eye Clinic
Striving for the best patient care
Located in the centre of Tokushima City and employing around 50 staff, Fujita Eye Clinic performs approximately 2,500 cataract surgeries every year. ‘We always strive for high quality care, and are quick to introduce new equipment’ says the clinic’s director Dr Yoshifumi Fujita, who sought an efficient solution for preserving video of surgical procedures:
‘Originally we used VHS tapes. Then we switched to shooting digital video, but this couldn’t be viewed immediately on the computers we had to hand. Later we moved to a video filing system, but the interface was not so easy to use and running costs for periodic server replacements were high. As the amount of video we captured increased – and the quality improved – that meant larger amounts of data to store. We’d also experienced issues with hard disks that have a limited lifespan, so footage can’t be kept for long periods of time’.
Preserving crucial video records
As a next step Dr Fujita explored a solution based on Sony’s surgical video content management system and Optical Disc Archive. ‘We believe that keeping video footage is an important asset. The Sony system automatically writes footage onto optical discs through the server, which is convenient and reduces labour. Even if there was a server breakdown, the data that’s been written is not lost: this offers us a lot of peace of mind.’
The clinic worked closely with Sony to analyse its old system and design an efficient new workflow, as Dr Fujita explains: ‘We adopted a workflow that involves recording to the Sony HVO-3300MT medical recorder, preserving footage on the server and writing to Optical Disc Archive. We also implemented a search function to find required footage, plus the ability to link it with electronic medical records.’
Instant viewing, efficient workflow
Introducing the system has delivered several advantages, states Dr Fujita. ‘Firstly, it allows previously recorded surgical videos to be viewed immediately. The videos are linked with the patient’s electronic medical records and can be extracted immediately.
‘You can also view live video feeds from operating rooms where surgeries are taking place. Staff can check the footage on monitors installed throughout the clinic via LAN. Doctors who are scheduled to operate can check the progress of surgeries currently underway as they handle outpatients. Reception and administrative staff can also check the footage to see the progress of any surgery at a glance. Previously, medical treatment fees for surgery were calculated the next day. But now this can be assessesed immediately once completion is confirmed via the footage. Patients can pay immediately after the surgery is finished and return home.’
Improving the quality of ophthalmic surgery
‘A further advantage is for staff training’ confirms Dr Fujita. ‘In review meetings we look over the footage from the past week: this helps to improve each doctor’s skills. Videos can also be edited and presented at academic conferences with excellent image quality. Everyone is pleased how simple it is to share footage.’
‘Sony has a strong reputation as a manufacturer, but we felt that it also had the development capabilities to solve on-site issues as a system integrator’ Dr Fujita concludes. ‘The introduction of video systems will lead to an improvement in the quality of ophthalmic surgery while allowing for differentiation from other clinics.’
