SHEDDING LIGHT A head-to-head product comparison is the only way to find out which headlight your surgeons will want to wear.

We asked our surgeons what features they wanted when we replace our aging fleet of surgical headlights, and boy did they let us know. They must be cordless. They must be comfortable. They must emit a clear, bright and wide beam of LED light (without a bluish tint!). Oh, and they must have a lightweight battery pack that lasts a long time — at least 3 hours before they need a recharge — and clips onto their waist instead of sitting on the crown of their head.

How do we know these things? Because for nearly 2 years we've been conducting a detailed headlight trial here at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. With 25 operating rooms, we're a very busy hospital, so our headlights get a lot of use. Almost every surgical service line uses our headlights all day, every day.

As you might imagine, we have a pretty big headlight inventory: about 70 corded headlights and another 15 cordless ones (hint, hint: Maybe that'll qualify us for a volume discount!). Some we've had for as long as 6 years and are breaking down more regularly. Mostly, though, surgeons have been complaining about the quality of light (dim is the word they use to describe it) and short battery life of our cordless units, and the inconvenience of being tethered to electrical outlets with the corded ones. Sometimes when the headlight's plugged into the wall, the surgeon can't move around the patient and table without feeling constricted or, worse, nearly having the headlight pulled off his head.

We hope to start turning over our headlights by year's end, replacing our current models with cordless, battery-powered LED ones in stages — first replacing our 15 corded lights and then our 70 corded ones, 5 to 10 at a time, until we've replaced every headlight. Our goal is to have an entirely cordless surgical services department.

Tips for a smooth trial
Once we decide on a vendor, that is. That's where our trial comes into play. Whether you're in the market for 5 or 50 headlights, here are some tips to ensure a smooth trial.

1. Cast a wide net. We invited 4 vendors that recently launched new cordless headlights to participate in our trial. We asked each vendor to let us trial 2 or 3 of their headlights for 2 to 3 weeks. We trialed each headlight concurrently so that our doctors could focus on each product. We tried to tackle each surgical service so we got feedback from as many surgeons, especially the heavy hitters, as we could. Neurology one week. Orthopedics the next. Just know 2 things going in: You can't please every last one of your doctors, and some will resist change.
2. Document surgeons' impressions. You'll want a record of your doctors' impressions of each light they trial. Keep it simple. We created an evaluation form that asks 3 yes-or-no questions: Was the product easy to use? Was the product clinically acceptable? Would you recommend the purchase of this product? If a doctor answers no to any of these questions, the form asks him to detail his objection. We also leave a space for comments. A sure sign a doctor didn't care for a headlight? You find it sitting, unused, on the counter in the OR and the doctor wearing his old reliable headlight.
3. Trial the headlights during surgery. We asked our surgeons to trial each headlight in real situations to make sure its depth of focus, width of illumination, intensity of light and stability — the light shouldn't drift — met with their approval. One surgeon liked a headlight he trialed so much that he got upset when I told him he couldn't keep it.
4. Remember that comfort is key. If quality of light is the No. 1 factor in choosing a surgical headlight, comfort is a close second. Remember, a headlight is a piece of wearable equipment, and "the longer you wear it, the more uncomfortable it will get." Your surgeons will be drawn to lightweight, absorbent headbands, padded pressure points, ventilated construction and eyewear compatibility. The battery pack plays a big part in comfort, too. In addition to it possibly being too heavy on the surgeon's hip or head, it also generates a fair amount of heat during use.

Keep the end goal in mind
Our overriding goal is to offer our surgeons the bright light, comfort and convenience that they want so they can deliver the best possible, most efficient patient care. If that means choosing a headlight that costs more than the others, but was the clear winner in our trial, then that's what we'll do. OSM