Safety in the hybrid angiography suite.

Safety in the OR is an important topic, containing both patient safety and team safety. Procedures in vascular surgery are being performed endovascularly at an increasing rate. This shift from open to endovascular surgery is accompanied by an increased radiation dose for both patients and team members. Adequate training of team members has been identified as a primordial factor in reducing the radiation load. At the moment, training consists of an obligatory theoretical course. However, this course should be followed by lifelong learning (e.g. annual refresher courses), requiring participant motivation and interest. The goal of this PhD is to try to make the principles of radiation protection as accessible as possible, by presenting them in an attractive and engaging way. The medium used for this will be a serious game, which has already proven its value in medical education. This PhD will also focus on the ways to monitor team performance and the application of radioprotection principles. A novel technology called ‘the surgical black box’ could be used for this purpose, benefiting patient and team safety, however, since there has been no validation of such systems in the hybrid angiography suite, it will have to be validated first to assess its feasibility and applicability.