Abstract
Introduction: Hospitals collect and store massive amounts of data. Developing better 'Information Systems' to manage these data more efficiently had been a challenge during the past decades, and automation was considered by many as the way forward. Method: An interventional project with predominantly qualitative methodology was carried out to implement and then assess a manual and computer-based intervention for management of midnight data at Base Hospital, Horana. Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and document reviews were the key components of the qualitative arm of the study. A satisfaction survey was subsequently conducted among the nursing staff, and selected indicator values were measured pre and post-implementation. Results: Following the pre-interventional analysis, the modified data management system was introduced to address the gaps in the system. The post-interventional analysis revealed that the modified system has better and user-friendly collecting, reporting and analysing tools, enhanced data dissemination capabilities and favourable outcome with the inbuilt system to identify data errors. Satisfaction among the nursing staff demonstrated visible improvement. Conclusion: The study recommends a gradual introduction of process modification and automation of the midnight data management system at Base Hospital Horana.
Highlights
Hospitals collect and store massive amounts of data
All inward patients were admitted to the Preliminary Care Unit (PCU) where a Bed Head Ticket (BHT) was issued
Numerical variables collected and reported through this process included: midnight totals of the previous day and today, new admissions, discharges, transfers and patient details extracted from BHTs ('Individual Patient Summaries')
Summary
Developing better 'Information Systems' to manage these data more efficiently had been a challenge during the past decades, and automation was considered by many as the way forward. A large amount of data is collected in hospitals each day(1). Demand for 'Information Systems' which are better equipped to collect, process and analyse reliable data has risen rapidly(2). In 1991, a report from the General Accounting Office of United States stated that automated records could significantly enhance patient management by providing more accurate, higher quality, readily accessible information to support evidence-based decision-making(3). In 2015, a Health Information Management System (HIMS) was implemented in the Outpatient Department at Base Hospital Horana (BHH). The plan was to expand the automation gradually, to enhance hospital data management. A significant proportion of generated data, including Midnight Data, lies dormant in their raw form, unused(7)
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