Operating room efficiency improving through data management

Data recording has a long tradition in healthcare (Murphy, 2012; O'Connor/Neumann, 2006). Due to evidencebased medicine influences and opportunities provided by modern information technology the number and overall importance of clinical data measurement has increased (Walshe/Rundall, 2001). Unfortunately the huge amount of collected data has not always high quality standards, neither their analysis is based on scientific results (Wager/Wickham Lee/Glaser 2005). Operating rooms (OR) are critical hospital units not only in patient safety terms but also in expenditure terms (Guerriero,/Guido, 2011; Maryamaa/Kirvela 2007). There is the urgent need for new tools which sustain Hospitals decision makers work (Agnoletti/Buccioli/Padovani et al., 2013). The primary goal of the ORMS (Operating Room Data Management) project was to provide the OR decision makers with an information basis to increase OR efficiency and patient safety. Data analysis is based on scientific literature (Macario, 2006; Williams/DeRiso/Figallo et al., 1998; McIntosh/Dexter/Epstein, 2006; Dexter/Dexter/Masursky et al., 2009; Wachtel/Dexter, 2009; Dexter/Epstein/Marcon 2005; Wachtel/Dexter 2009) and the project teams' experience with tracked data. The system login is layered and different users have access to different data outputs depending on their professional needs (Manager, Anesthesiologist and Surgeon). Every profile includes subcategories where operators can access more detailed data analyses. The total number of surgical procedures has increased from 4892 in 2009 to 5616 in 2010 and decreased to 5120 in 2011. In 2012 there is to state a small increase to 5180 surgical procedures. Due to the introduction of ORMS managers optimized significantly performance indicators of the surgical theater over the years and enabled in this way to find an output number which is in line with given resources. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.