User Perceptions of ROTEM-Guided Haemostatic Resuscitation: A Mixed Qualitative-Quantitative Study.

Viscoelastic point-of-care haemostatic resuscitation methods, such as ROTEM or TEG, are crucial in deciding on time-efficient personalised coagulation interventions. International transfusion guidelines emphasise increased patient safety and reduced treatment costs. We analysed care providers' perceptions of ROTEM to identify perceived strengths and areas for improvement. We conducted a single-centre, mixed qualitative-quantitative study consisting of interviews followed by an online survey. Using a template approach, we first identified themes in the responses given by care providers about ROTEM. Later, the participants rated six statements based on the identified themes on five-point Likert scales in an online questionnaire. Seventy-seven participants were interviewed, and 52 completed the online survey. By analysing user perceptions, we identified ten themes. The most common positive theme was "high accuracy". The most common negative theme was "need for training". In the online survey, 94% of participants agreed that monitoring the real-time ROTEM temograms helps to initiate targeted treatment more quickly and 81% agreed that recurrent ROTEM training would be beneficial. Anaesthesia care providers found ROTEM to be accurate and quickly available to support decision-making in dynamic and complex haemostatic situations. However, clinicians identified that interpreting ROTEM is a complex and cognitively demanding task that requires significant training needs.
Competing Interests: D.W.T. and C.B.N. are designated inventors of Philips Visual-Patient-avatar, for which the University of Zurich and Koninklijke Philips N.V. hold various patents, design protections, and trademarks. There are cooperation and licensing agreements with Philips Medizin Systeme Böblingen GmbH, Böblingen, Germany; Koninklijke Philips N.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Philips Research/Philips Electronics Nederland BV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Philips USA, Cambridge, MA, USA. Under these agreements, D.W.T. receives research funding and D.W.T. and C.B.N. receive travel support, lecturing honoraria, and may receive royalties in the event of successful commercialization. D.W.T., C.B.N., and D.R.S. are designated inventors of Visual Clot technology, for which the University of Zurich holds various patents and trademarks. D.W.T., C.B.N., and D.R.S. may receive royalties in the event of successful commercialization. D.W.T. receives honoraria/travel support for consulting or lecturing from: Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, MA, USA, Swiss Foundation for Anaesthesia Research, Zurich, Switzerland, International Symposium on Intensive Care on Emergency Medicine, Brussels, Belgium. C.B.N. receives honoraria/travel support for consulting or lecturing from: Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, MA, USA. D.R.S. academic department is receiving grant support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, Berne, Switzerland, the Swiss Society of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine (SSAPM), Berne, Switzerland, the Swiss Foundation for Anaesthesia Research, Zurich, Switzerland, Vifor SA, Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland and Vifor (International) AG, St. Gallen, Switzerland. D.R.S. is co-chair of the A.B.C-Trauma Faculty, sponsored by unrestricted educational grants from Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Zurich, Switzerland, CSL Behring GmbH, Marburg, Germany, LFB Biomédicaments, Courtaboeuf Cedex, France and Octapharma AG, Lachen, Switzerland. D.R.S. received honoraria/travel support for consulting or lecturing from: Danube University of Krems, Austria, US Department of Defense, Washington, USA, European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Brussels, BE, Korean Society for Patient Blood Management, Seoul, Korea, Korean Society of Anaesthesiologists, Seoul, Korea, Network for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management, Haemostasis and Thrombosis, Paris, France, Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Boston, MA, Bayer AG, Zürich, Switzerland, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Melsungen, Germany, CSL Behring GmbH, Hattersheim am Main, Germany and Berne, Switzerland, Celgene International II Sàrl, Couvet, Switzerland, Daiichi Sankyo AG, Thalwil, Switzerland, Haemonetics, Braintree, MA, USA, Instrumentation Laboratory (Werfen), Bedford, MA, USA, LFB Biomédicaments, Courtaboeuf Cedex, France, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA, Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Zurich, Switzerland, PAION Deutschland GmbH, Aachen, Germany, Pharmacosmos A/S, Holbaek, Denmark, Pfizer AG, Zürich, Switzerland, Pierre Fabre Pharma, Alschwil, Switzerland, Portola Schweiz GmbH, Aarau, Switzerland, Roche Diagnostics International Ltd., Reinach, Switzerland, Sarstedt AG & Co., Sevelen, Switzerland and Nümbrecht, Germany, Shire Switzerland GmbH, Zug, Switzerland, Tem International GmbH, Munich, Germany, Vifor Pharma, Munich, Germany, Neuilly sur Seine, France and Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland, Vifor (International) AG, St. Gallen, Switzerland, Zuellig Pharma Holdings, Singapore, Singapore. KZ academic department received support from B. Braun Melsungen, CSL Behring, Fresenius Kabi, and Vifor Pharma for the implementation of Frankfurt‘s Patient Blood Management program. KZ has received honoraria for participation in advisory board meetings for Haemonetics and Vifor and received speaker fees from CSL Behring, Masimo, Pharmacosmos, Boston Scientific, Salus, iSEP, Edwards and GE Healthcare. He is the Principal Investigator of the EU-Horizon 2020 project ENVISION (Intelligent plug-and-play digital tool for real-time surveillance of COVID-19 patients and smart decision-making in Intensive Care Units) and Horizon Europe 2021 project COVend (Biomarker and AI-supported FX06 therapy to prevent progression from mild and moderate to severe stages of COVID-19). FJR received speaker fees from CSL Behring, Helios Germany, university hospital Würzburg and Keller Medical GmbH. FJR received financial support by HemoSonics LLC, pharma-consult Petersohn, LifeSystems and Boehringer Ingelheim. FP received honoraria from Pharmacosmos for scientific lectures. The other authors do not have any conflict of interest.