In April, the consortium had the opportunity to present the Smart-OT project for the first time to a broader medical audience at the 138th German Congress of Surgeons (DCK). As the annual congress of the German Society of Surgeons, the DCK is one of the most important annual specialist events for surgery in Germany and this year took place as a digital event under the motto Competence-Creativity-Communication from April 12 to 16.
Already in the first session of the event, which took place in the afternoon of April 6, 2021, as part of the pre-congress, and in which a wide variety of surgical issues were addressed in various short presentations, the University Department of Visceral Surgery of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg was able to provide information about the project in a five-minute short communication on behalf of all institutions involved in the project. In particular, the partners involved in the Smart- OT project explained why there is a need for more modern OR lighting and what a prototype of this new type of lighting system might look like. Particularly eagerly awaited was the feedback provided during the expert discussion that followed the presentation, to hear the assessment of scientists and physicians from other disciplines who were not involved in the project.
This showed that the planned system was recognized as innovative and – especially regarding the handling of shading into the OR area – of practical relevance. Overall, this confirmed that the project is on the right track and has addressed issues that are also seen as relevant across the boundaries of different surgical disciplines.