Going live: implementing a telesurgery program

Telesurgery is the real-time transmission of surgery to an audience in a location separate from the OR suite. Staff members at Faulkner Hospital, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, established an annual telesurgery event as a method of teaching health care providers about specific orthopedic and gynecology procedures. In October 2009, staff members at Faulkner Hospital successfully completed five separate live transmissions during a four-day period. Extensive planning, attention to detail, and cooperation among team members and hospital service line members are essential to conducting a safe and successful telesurgery event.