THE COST EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF USING A CASE-VIEW AS A WEB-BASED RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY TO EXPEDITE PATIENT CARE AND COST-SAVING FOR OPERATING ROOM

Purpose: The purpose of this small test of change was to examine the cost effectiveness' and efficiency of using a Case-View as a Web-Based resource technology to expedite patient care and cost-saving for operating room in clinical practice.

Background: This test investigated the current Case-View information technology available to all staff members about the operating room efficiency, turn-over time, cost effectiveness, schedule cases and other logistic information built specifically as information tool for medical staff, administrations, and perioperative staff.

Setting: The operating room unit of an academic medical center, UCSF.

Methods: It took place from January 2008 to January 2009. Using web-based electronic email a survey was sent to entire operating room staff with the following questions; how Case-View affect the health care team's efficiency, knowledge, retention, positive effect on team building, leadership skills, professional development, knowledge management, evidence based practice and most important patient safety. The survey included two answers yes (positive) or no (negative).

Results: Over 90% of the respondents said that Case-View web based technology expedite patient care and it is cost-saving technology in clinical practice. Good to the environment by eliminating hundreds of daily paper print in and out. Over 90% of the surveyors said that Case-View web-based resource positively affect the health care team's efficiency, knowledge, retention, positive effect on team building, leadership skills, professional development, knowledge management, evidence based practice, and patient safety.

Conclusion: Case-View web-based technology addresses these needs by providing a powerful yet intuitive visual interface to data that already exists in clinical databases. It allows interested stakeholders to make decisions based on the most up-to-date information, and promotes efficiency as well as situational awareness of what's happening in the ORs.
When everyone is literally looking at the same display, decisions are made wisely and effectively with certainty. Results of the survey shows that without Case-View the monitoring of data and recording the business of providing health care would be inefficient and it would strained resources even more.