Optimization of the Operating Room Scheduling Process for Improving Efficiency in a Tertiary Hospital.

Efficient operating room (OR) scheduling can improve OR utilization and reduce costs. We hypothesize that the scheduling office (ORSO) leading the modification scheduling process could increase OR utilization rate. Using retrospective data from a single tertiary hospital in two consecutive calendar years, we compared OR utilization rate, the number of daily cases and cumulative operative time in the pre- and post-implementation of scheduling process alteration. We operated about 100,609 cases in the OR during the study period. Daytime utilization rate increased from 85.6% to 89.4% (P < 0.001); overall OR utilization rate from 115.1% to 117.6% (P = 0.019); daily case numbers from 229.9 ± 7.3 to 239.6 ± 7.6 (P = 0.0.14); and cumulative operation time of total and daytime cases from 611.7 case-hour/day to 624.5 case-hour/day (P = 0.013) and from 510.8 case-hour/day to 533.8 case-hour/day (P < 0.001), respectively. Evening/night time case-hour significantly decreased from 100.9 case-hour/day to 90.7 case-hour/day (P < 0.001). The optimization of the scheduling process and coordination by the office during regular workhours resulted in enhanced OR efficiency. The OR scheduling office can act as a control tower to make OR management more flexible, which can improve efficiency and carry financial benefits in tertiary hospitals.

Availability of patient classification using clinical data.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is examine the reliability and validity of the patient classification which is based on clinical data with comparing to nurse's check. METHOD: Nurse Experts estimated the content validity of extracting KPCS-1(Korea patient classification system for nurses Version 1) activities score from clinical data in storage of AMIS (Asan Medical Center information system). After verifying the content validity of extraction method from clinical data, two methods extracting KPCS-1 score (from clinical data vs. nurses' recording) were compared for 348 patients. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that extracting patient classification from clinical data is high value of validity (except 4 items excluded from this study), reliability between two methods extracting KPCS-1(from clinical data and nurses' recording) is high value (ICC=0.96, p<.001) and construct validity of two methods has similarity. CONCLUSIONS: It is believed that the patient classification system which is made from only clinical data without nurse's work burden is available. And 4 items which was excluded on KPCS-1 and examine area which had low level of reliability are needed to be amended.

Development and evaluation of ICNP-based Electronic Nursing Record System.

This study was conducted to cross-map nursing statements with International Classification of Nursing Practice (ICNP) Version 1 and to develop and evaluate ICNP-based Electronic Nursing Record System. Among the 7,631 nursing statements which were cross-mapped, 5,970(78.2%) nursing statements were completely expressed and 1,520(19.9%) statements were partially expressed. ICNP-based Electronic Nursing Record System was developed for the Asan Medical Center in Korea. Most nursing statements (6,671 of 7,931, 87.0%) and Most cross-mapped ICNP terms (965 of 1,015, 94.9%) were documented by user in all the units from July, 2007 to August, 2008.

A clinical-decision support system for the nursing process in the ENR.

This study was conducted to develop the clinical-decision support system for the nursing process in the Electronic nursing record system. Nursing diagnoses were linked to 4 components of the nursing process (except for diagnoses) and applied to ENR in 2007.

The development and evaluation of a Web-site for patients undergoing spinal fusion.

The purposes of this study are to develop a Web-based information program for patients undergoing spinal fusion, and to evaluate the effect on patients' anxiety and knowledge through a Web-based information program. There was significant difference in the levels of anxiety and knowledge between the two groups after program implementation. There was significant difference in the level of knowledge between before and after education of preadmission patients.