Development of a prosthodontic workflow tracking system to improve delivery efficiency in clinic-laboratory transfers

To develop and evaluate the Prosthodontic Workflow Tracking System (PWTS) for improving delivery efficiency and traceability in clinic-dental laboratory workflows across medical center branches.

From May 2022 to September 2023, prosthodontic work-item transfer episodes between clinics and a dental laboratory across medical center branches were prospectively recruited under routine clinical operations and managed using either PWTS (digital tracking) or a paper-based workflow. PWTS recorded time-stamped scans at predefined checkpoints and synchronized events to a cloud dashboard for real-time status visualization and automated overdue alerts. Delay was defined as the completion of any checkpoint after the scheduled due date. Delay incidence was compared using chi-square tests, and delayed days using the Mann-Whitney U test. Administrative workload was estimated using time-motion observation and system logs. Post-intervention user experience was assessed using 5-point Likert scales.

A total of 154 transfer episodes were included (PWTS n = 84; paper-based n = 70). Delay incidence was lower in PWTS than in the paper-based workflow (17.9% vs 52.9%; χ² = 19.38, p < 0.001). Cumulative delayed days were 262 (PWTS) versus 408 (paper-based), and mean delayed days per episode were 3.12 versus 5.83, respectively (p < 0.001). Administrative workload was estimated at 30 staff-hours per month. User experience indicated high perceived benefit (4.0-4.5/5), moderate satisfaction and continued-use intention (3.5/5), and lower usability for impression movement tracking (2.5/5).

PWTS was associated with lower delay incidence and delay burden than a paper-based workflow, and user-reported experience measures highlighted priorities for future system refinement.