The first national study of surgical video across the NHS has revealed that policies and procedures vary significantly.
Recording surgical procedures can provide an invaluable tool to train clinical staff, but the policies in place around video recording for training vary hugely from one hospital to the next, a study has found.
In a review of current practices across in England and Wales, only a minority (16%) of NHS Trusts said they routinely record their surgeries, and the decision to video operations was often left to the consultant surgeon. Yet almost half of Trusts surveyed (46%) said they did have the necessary recording technology in place.
Researchers at Imperial College London sent Freedom of Information requests to all acute NHS Trusts and Boards in England and Wales asking for details of their procedures, policies and governance around surgical video.
Less than half of Trusts who responded (42%) had governance policies covering surgical video recording, as well as the storage and use of recordings. Platforms used to store videos also varied widely; some Trusts used internal systems to store recordings, others used third party software platforms. Consent and access policies and procedures also varied.
