Anaesthesia record system on handheld computers--pilot experience and uses for quality control and clinical...

This paper describes a mobile information system to collect patient information for anesthesia quality control. In this system, a mobile database program was designed for use on handheld computers (Pocket PC). This program is used to collect patient data at the bedside on the handhelds, with a daily synchronization of the data between the anaesthesiologists' handhelds with the anaesthesia database. All collected data are later used for quality control analysis. Furthermore, clinical guidelines will be included on these same handhelds. During the pilot phase, data from a sample set of about 300 patients were incorporated. The processes and interfaces of the system are presented in the paper. The current mobile database system has been designed to replace the original paper-based data collection system. The individual anaesthesiologist's handheld synchronizes patient data daily with anaesthesia database center. This information database is analyzed and used not only to give feedback to the individual doctor or center, but also to review the use of the guidelines provided and the results of their utilization.