Michael Barbella, Managing Editor04.22.24
It was only a matter of time.
Having been successfully deployed in hospitals for the past several years, Alexa is now moving into the surgical suite, thanks to KARL STORZ, where "she" will "help" physicians and staff carry out various duties. Already well established in healthcare as a HIPAA-compliant voice assistant, Alexa Smart Properties will now be available in KARL STORZ-integrated operating rooms to help perform various tasks to enhance and streamline surgical workflow.
With the increasing administrative burden on clinical teams to operate equipment and document procedures, the introduction of a voice assistant is an important step toward allowing them to refocus on patient care. Without having to touch any equipment, the surgical team can now access case setup information, adjust surgical visualization, contact other staff members, and more, from anywhere in the operating room. This will enable unprecedented control for surgeons and team members who are scrubbed in, without sacrificing sterility.
“This partnership with Amazon brings us one step closer to a touchless operating room, where the technology works for the clinical team—not the other way around,” said Christy Gaudet, VP of Surgical Sales & Marketing at KARL STORZ United States.
The technology will be available as an extension of the CollaboratOR, an interactive ecosystem for the KARL STORZ integrated operating room. The KARL STORZ Alexa-enabled operating room is currently available in the United States.
KARL STORZ develops endoscopic technology and surgical imaging solutions across virtually all surgical specialties. Its integrated operating room solutions are designed to enhance collaboration to improve clinical efficiency and outcomes inside the hospital and other sites of care. With global subsidiaries, KARL STORZ is a family-owned company based in Tuttlingen, Germany, that designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship, and clinical effectiveness.
Having been successfully deployed in hospitals for the past several years, Alexa is now moving into the surgical suite, thanks to KARL STORZ, where "she" will "help" physicians and staff carry out various duties. Already well established in healthcare as a HIPAA-compliant voice assistant, Alexa Smart Properties will now be available in KARL STORZ-integrated operating rooms to help perform various tasks to enhance and streamline surgical workflow.
With the increasing administrative burden on clinical teams to operate equipment and document procedures, the introduction of a voice assistant is an important step toward allowing them to refocus on patient care. Without having to touch any equipment, the surgical team can now access case setup information, adjust surgical visualization, contact other staff members, and more, from anywhere in the operating room. This will enable unprecedented control for surgeons and team members who are scrubbed in, without sacrificing sterility.
“This partnership with Amazon brings us one step closer to a touchless operating room, where the technology works for the clinical team—not the other way around,” said Christy Gaudet, VP of Surgical Sales & Marketing at KARL STORZ United States.
The technology will be available as an extension of the CollaboratOR, an interactive ecosystem for the KARL STORZ integrated operating room. The KARL STORZ Alexa-enabled operating room is currently available in the United States.
KARL STORZ develops endoscopic technology and surgical imaging solutions across virtually all surgical specialties. Its integrated operating room solutions are designed to enhance collaboration to improve clinical efficiency and outcomes inside the hospital and other sites of care. With global subsidiaries, KARL STORZ is a family-owned company based in Tuttlingen, Germany, that designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship, and clinical effectiveness.