Development and assessment of a computer-based preanesthetic patient evaluation system for obstetrical anesthesia

Computerization of the medical record in various outpatient settings has been successful but for anesthesiologists, the preoperative visit differs significantly. This study implemented a computerized version of a structured preanesthetic evaluation questionnaire that we had previously developed and which provided a starting point for developing a suitable vocabulary and workflow. Using the computerized version, pre-anesthetic evaluations were performed on 26 obstetric patients over a 20-week period. The introduction of a computer into the physician-patient relationship did not disrupt the examination. It markedly reduced time-consuming tasks (such as dictation), captured far more detail than found in our previously dictated and handwritten notes and provided immediately available data for quality assurance activities.