Improving Documentation of a Beta-Blocker Quality Measure Through an Anesthesia Information Management System and Real-Time Notification of Documentation Errors

Process Optimization and Digital Quality Improvement to Enhance Timely Initiation of Epidural Infusions and Postoperative Pain Control

BACKGROUND

Although intraoperative epidural analgesia improves postoperative pain control, a recent quality improvement project demonstrated that only 59% of epidural infusions are started in the operating room before patient arrival in the postanesthesia care unit. We evaluated the combined effect of process and digital quality improvement efforts on provider compliance with starting continuous epidural infusions during surgery.

METHODS

In October 2014, we instituted 2 process improvement initiatives: (1) an electronic order queue to assist the operating room pharmacy with infusate preparation; and (2) a designated workspace for the storage of equipment related to epidural catheter placement and drug infusion delivery. In addition, we implemented a digital quality improvement initiative, an Anesthesia Information Management System-mediated clinical decision support, to prompt anesthesia providers to start and document epidural infusions in pertinent patients. We assessed anesthesia provider compliance with epidural infusion initiation in the operating room and postoperative pain-related outcomes before (PRE: October 1, 2012 to September 31, 2014) and after (POST: January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016) implementation of the quality improvement initiatives.

RESULTS

Compliance with starting intraoperative epidural infusions was 59% in the PRE group and 85% in the POST group. After adjustment for confounders and preintervention time trends, segmented regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in compliance with the intervention in the POST phase (odds ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.73-4.49; P < .001). In the PRE and POST groups, cumulative postoperative intravenous opioid use (geometric mean) was 62 and 34 mg oral morphine equivalents, respectively. A segmented regression analysis did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference (P = .38) after adjustment for preintervention time trends.

CONCLUSIONS

Process workflow optimization along with Anesthesia Information Management System-mediated digital quality improvement efforts increased compliance to intraoperative epidural infusion initiation. Adjusted for preintervention time trends, these findings coincided with a statistically insignificant decrease in postoperative opioid use in the postanesthesia care unit during the POST phase.

Perioperative Information Systems: Opportunities to Improve Delivery of Care and Clinical Outcomes in Cardiac and Vascular Surgery

A variety of existing perioperative informatics tools offer clinicians and researchers the opportunity to improve the delivery of care and clinical outcomes for patients undergoing cardiac and vascular surgery. Many of these tools can be used to improve the reliability of the care delivery process through the application of clinical decision support tools and/or quality improvement methodologies at a number of junctures. In this review, the authors will offer a concise overview of the existing perioperative informatics literature, with a focus on tools considered to be of utility in confronting the unique challenges inherent to cardiac and vascular surgery. The authors also highlight areas that they believe are of interest for future targeted inquiry.

Development and Feasibility of a Real-Time Clinical Decision Support System for Traumatic Brain Injury Anesthesia Care

BACKGROUND

Real-time clinical decision support (CDS) integrated with anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) can generate point of care reminders to improve quality of care.

OBJECTIVE

To develop, implement and evaluate a real-time clinical decision support system for anesthetic management of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients undergoing urgent neurosurgery.

METHODS

We iteratively developed a CDS system for pediatric TBI patients undergoing urgent neurosurgery. The system automatically detects eligible cases and evidence-based key performance indicators (KPIs). Unwanted clinical events trigger and display real-time messages on the AIMS computer screen. Main outcomes were feasibility of detecting eligible cases and KPIs, and user acceptance.

RESULTS

The CDS system was triggered in 22 out of 28 (79%) patients. The sensitivity of detecting continuously sampled KPIs reached 93.8%. For intermittently sampled KPIs, sensitivity and specificity reached 90.9% and 100%, respectively. 88% of providers reported that CDS helped with TBI anesthesia care.

CONCLUSIONS

CDS implementation is feasible and acceptable with a high rate of case capture and appropriate generation of alert and guidance messages for TBI anesthesia care.

A systematic review of near real-time and point-of-care clinical decision support in anesthesia information management systems

Anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) are sophisticated hardware and software technology solutions that can provide electronic feedback to anesthesia providers. This feedback can be tailored to provide clinical decision support (CDS) to aid clinicians with patient care processes, documentation compliance, and resource utilization. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles on near real-time and point-of-care CDS within AIMS using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. Studies were identified by searches of the electronic databases Medline and EMBASE. Two reviewers screened studies based on title, abstract, and full text. Studies that were similar in intervention and desired outcome were grouped into CDS categories. Three reviewers graded the evidence within each category. The final analysis included 25 articles on CDS as implemented within AIMS. CDS categories included perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, post-operative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis, vital sign monitors and alarms, glucose management, blood pressure management, ventilator management, clinical documentation, and resource utilization. Of these categories, the reviewers graded perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and clinical documentation as having strong evidence per the peer reviewed literature. There is strong evidence for the inclusion of near real-time and point-of-care CDS in AIMS to enhance compliance with perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and clinical documentation. Additional research is needed in many other areas of AIMS-based CDS.

Paperless anesthesia: uses and abuses of these data

Demonstrably accurate records facilitate clinical decision making, improve patient safety, provide better defense against frivolous lawsuits, and enable better medical policy decisions. Anesthesia Information Management Systems (AIMS) have the potential to improve on the accuracy and reliability of handwritten records. Interfaces with electronic recording systems within the hospital or wider community allow correlation of anesthesia relevant data with biochemistry laboratory results, billing sections, radiological units, pharmacy, earlier patient records, and other systems. Electronic storage of large and accurate datasets has lent itself to quality assurance, enhancement of patient safety, research, cost containment, scheduling, anesthesia training initiatives, and has even stimulated organizational change. The time for record making may be increased by AIMS, but in some cases has been reduced. The question of impact on vigilance is not entirely settled, but substantial negative effects seem to be unlikely. The usefulness of these large databases depends on the accuracy of data and they may be incorrect or incomplete. Consequent biases are threats to the validity of research results. Data mining of biomedical databases makes it easier for individuals with political, social, or economic agendas to generate misleading research findings for the purpose of manipulating public opinion and swaying policymakers. There remains a fear that accessibility of data may have undesirable regulatory or legal consequences. Increasing regulation of treatment options during the perioperative period through regulated policies could reduce autonomy for clinicians. These fears are as yet unsubstantiated.

Clinical Decision Support for Perioperative Information Management Systems

Clinical decision support (CDS) systems are being used to optimize the increasingly complex care that our health care system delivers. These systems have become increasingly important in the delivery of perioperative care for patients undergoing cardiac, thoracic, and vascular procedures. The adoption of perioperative information management systems (PIMS) has allowed these technologies to enter the operating room and support the clinical work flow of anesthesiologists and operational processes. Constructing effective CDS systems necessitates an understanding of operative work flow and technical considerations as well as achieving integration with existing information systems. In this review, we describe published examples of CDS for PIMS, including support for cardiopulmonary bypass separation physiological alarms, β-blocker guideline adherence, enhanced revenue capture for arterial line placement, and detection of hemodynamic monitoring gaps. Although these and other areas are amenable to CDS systems, the challenges of latency and data reliability represent fundamental limitations on the potential application of these tools to specific types of clinical issues. Ultimately, we expect that CDS will remain an important tool in our efforts to optimize the quality of care delivered.