Advanced techniques for anesthesia data analysis

Abstract

The perioperative environment is one of the most technologically advanced areas of the modern healthcare enterprise. From the anesthesia machine to the physiologic monitors in the PACU, the use of computer technology now collects and displays thousands of data points per hour, in thousands of operating rooms across the world. Increasing numbers of modern operating rooms (ORs) are also now equipped with computerized anesthesia information management systems (AIMS), which capture the data from the monitors and anesthesia machines, interface with existing hospital information systems (HIS), and allow the anesthesia staff to construct an electronic version of the perioperative patient record. Most of the AIMS do more than simply recreate a handwritten record on a computer screen or a paper printout; they also store these data in some form of an electronic database. The management of a modern anesthesia service is complicated by many of the same challenges that face healthcare as a whole. The increased scrutiny of medical errors, personnel shortages, cost and billing pressures, privacy and security issues, and medical legal concerns can impact all facets of anesthesia practice. The benefits of documentation automation with an AIMS, and the analysis of the data that are collected, can help address these challenges. Unfortunately, many of the anesthesia departments that have implemented AIMS use them