Rapid Improvement Project: Improving Caregivers' Understanding of Safety Recommendations for Neurosurgical Devices

There has been a proliferation in the development of indwelling neuromodulatory devices with varied safety recommendations, making it difficult for providers to remain up-to-date. This deficit presents an opportunity for significant improvement in patient safety.

We performed a search for monopolar electrocautery and magnetic resonance imaging safety recommendations for several indwelling neuromodulatory devices. We developed a questionnaire followed by an educational compendium and a posttest for 50 care providers.

Overall, there was a poor performance on the pretest (mean 39%, SD 19%) but significant improvement on the posttest (mean 71%, SD 16%), P < 0.0001. We placed the educational compendium that included all manufacturer recommendations in the operating room for easy reference. A 2.4 times decrease in the case start times of vagus nerve stimulator cases is evidence of its effectiveness.

The authors highlight the lack of knowledge about manufacturer safety recommendations for indwelling neurosurgical devices, which led to the creation of operating room supplements and educational devices.