[Mental health problems among employees: service use and costs to the German healthcare system]. / Psychische Belastungen bei Erwerbstätigen: Leistungsinanspruchnahme und Kosten für das deutsche Gesundheitssystem.

BACKGROUND: Service use among employees with mental health problems and the associated costs for the health and social system have not yet been systematically analysed in studies or have only been recorded indirectly. The aim of this article is to report the service use in this target group, to estimate the costs for the health and social system and to identify possible influencing factors on the cost variance. METHODS: As part of a multicentre study, use and costs of health and social services were examined for a sample of 550 employees with mental health problems. Service use was recorded using the German version of the Client Sociodemographic Service Receipt Inventory (CSSRI). Costs were calculated for six months. A generalized linear regression model was used to examine influencing cost factors. RESULTS: At the start of the study, the average total costs for the past six months in the sample were €â€¯5227.12 per person (standard deviation €â€¯7704.21). The regression model indicates significant associations between increasing costs with increasing age and for people with depression, behavioural syndromes with physiological symptoms, and other diagnoses. DISCUSSION: The calculated costs were similar in comparison to clinical samples. It should be further examined in longitudinal studies whether this result changes through specific interventions.

Effects of Flow Disruptions on Mental Workload and Surgical Performance in Robotic-Assisted Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Robotic systems introduced new surgical and technical demands. Surgical flow disruptions are critical for maintaining operating room (OR) teamwork and patient safety. Specifically for robotic surgery, effects of intra-operative disruptive events for OR professionals' workload, stress, and performance have not been investigated yet. This study aimed to identify flow disruptions and assess their association with mental workload and performance during robotic-assisted surgery. METHODS: Structured expert-observations to identify different disruption types during 40 robotic-assisted radical prostatectomies were conducted. Additionally, 216 postoperative reports on mental workload (mental demands, situational stress, and distractions) and performance of all OR professionals were collected. RESULTS: On average 15.8 flow disruptions per hour were observed with the highest rate after abdominal insufflation and before console time. People entering the OR caused most flow disruptions. Disruptions due to equipment showed the highest severity of interruption. Workload significantly correlated with severity of disruptions due to coordination and communication. CONCLUSIONS: Flow disruptions occur frequently and are associated with increased workload. Therefore, strategies are needed to manage disruptions to maintain OR teamwork and safety during robotic-assisted surgery.

Associations of Intraoperative Flow Disruptions and Operating Room Teamwork During Robotic-assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To identify type and severity of surgical flow disruptions and to determine their impact on the perception of intraoperative teamwork. METHODS: Forty radical prostatectomy cases were studied in an academic department for urology. A standardized observational tool for identification of type and severity of flow disruptions was applied during real-time prostatectomy procedures. Additionally, all operating room team members evaluated intraoperative teamwork immediately after the procedure. Procedures were divided into 4 phases: prerobot, docking, console time, and postrobot. RESULTS: A total of 2012 flow disruptions were observed, with an average rate of 16.27 events per hour. The highest rate was during the robot docking phase. Although the frequency of disruption types varied across phases, the most severe disruptions were related to communication and coordination during the prerobot and docking phase. Equipment- and communication-related disruptions were mostly severe during the time the surgeons were on the console. Among the surgeons, we identified a significant relationship between disruptions and intraoperative teamwork such that during procedures with frequent severe disruptions, surgeons experienced inferior teamwork (ß = -0.40, P = .01). This was not the case for nurses and anesthetists. CONCLUSION: Emphasis on improving operating room team communication and coordination would help to establish efficient and smooth surgical workflow.