Improving surgical safety using advanced technology to monitor operating room performance
Official title: Developing strategies for implementation and use of the Operating Room Black Box
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11050738 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how a special technology called the Operating Room Black Box can help make surgeries safer and better by tracking what happens during operations, so that doctors can learn from the data and improve their skills for the benefit of patients like you.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $399,999 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HS029874-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11050738 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients scheduled for surgical procedures who may benefit from enhanced safety measures in the operating room.
✕Less likely to help
Patients undergoing non-surgical treatments or those not requiring surgery may not receive any benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on enhancing the safety and quality of surgical procedures by implementing the Operating Room Black Box (ORBB), a technology that captures and analyzes the performance of surgical teams in real-time. By recording vital signs and postoperative outcomes, the ORBB utilizes machine learning to identify areas for improvement in surgical practices. The goal is to develop training programs that effectively use this data to reduce preventable errors in the operating room, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly reduce preventable surgical errors, improving patient safety and outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that implementing safety checklists and monitoring systems can reduce surgical errors, indicating that the approach of using the ORBB may also be effective.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sankaranarayanan, Ganesh — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Sankaranarayanan, Ganesh
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.