Results of a randomized trial of HERMES-assisted vs non-HERMES-assisted laparoscopic antireflux surgery
Speech recognition technology is a recent development in minimally invasive surgery. This study was designed to assess the impact of HERMES on operating room efficiency and user satisfaction. Patients undergoing laparoscopic antireflux operations by surgeons experienced in minimally invasive surgery were randomized to HERMES-assisted or standard laparoscopic operations. The variables of interest were circulating nurse’s time spent adjusting devices that are voice-controlled by HERMES, number of adjustments to devices requested, and surgeon and nurse satisfaction measured on a scale from 1 (dissatisfied) to 10 (satisfied). A total of 30 cases were studied. In the non-HERMES cases, nurses were interrupted to make device adjustments an average of 15.3 times per case versus 0.33 times per case in the with-HERMES cases (p<0.01). The interruptions during the non-HERMES cases averaged 4.35 min per case versus 0.16 min per case in the with-HERMES cases (p=0.03). Average satisfaction scores for HERMES operations as opposed to non-HERMES operations were 9.2 versus 5.3 for nurses (p<0.01) and 9.0 versus 5.1 for surgeons (p<0.01). Physician and nurse acceptance of HERMES was very high because of the smoother interruption-free environment.