Surgical process modelling strategies: which method to choose for determining workflow?

Abstract

The vital role of surgeries in healthcare requires a constant attention to improvement. Surgical process modelling is an innovative and rather recently introduced approach for tackling the issues in today’s complex surgeries. This modelling field is very challenging and still under development, therefore, it is not always clear which modelling strategy would best fit the needs in which situations. The aim of this study was to provide a guide for matching the choice of modelling strategies for determining surgical workflows. In this work, the concepts associated with surgical process modelling are described, aiming to clarify them and to promote their use in future studies. The relationship of these concepts and the possible combinations of the suitable approaches for modelling strategies are elaborated and the criteria for opting for the proper modelling strategy are discussed.

Keywords:

• surgical process model
• surgical workflow analysis
• surgical procedure

Additional information

Funding

This work is part of the HiPerNav project that received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under grant agreement No 722068.