[Influence of IT-supported clinical pathways on patient satisfaction at a surgical department of a university hospital].
BACKGROUND
Clinical pathways (CPs) are considered to be a device of clinical process management, which describe the optimal way of a special type of patient with its diagnostic and therapeutic medical treatment. Apart from these economic aspects CPs can make a contribution to an optimization of the health quality management as well as to an improvement of medical staffs and patients satisfaction. In our hospital clinical pathways supported by information technology (IT-supported CPs) were implemented world-wide for the first time in a running Hospital Information System (SAP/i.s.h.med) and used by routine. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of IT-supported CPs on patient satisfaction.


METHODS
The patient satisfaction was examined BEFORE introduction of IT-supported CPs by standardized questionnaires in 64 Patients (45f/19m, median age: 64,9 +/- 1,24 years) and in 62 patients (38f/24m, median age: 63,3 +/- 1,49 years) AFTER introduction of IT-supported CPs by standardized questionnaires. Different CPs were selected and grouped by simple, middle and high complexity, each to benign and malignant illnesses.


RESULTS
By introduction of IT-supported CPs patient satisfaction can be improved. CPs already evaluated as very good before introduction of CPs could be improved only slightly, whereas badly evaluated CPs exhibited a large optimization potential.


CONCLUSIONS
On the one hand patient satisfaction may be improved by the introduction of CPs. On the other hand CPs- when IT-supported- do not result unavoidably in an industrial medicine. This subjective estimate of the patient contributes to a better customer-and patient-oriented quality management, whereby an appropriate optimization of the recognized deficits can be simply realized by IT-supported CPs.
Klinik für Allgemeine Chirurgie, Viszeral-, Gefäss- und Kinderchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar.
J
J
Schuld
S
S
Richter
J
J
Folz
P
P
Jacob
S
S
Gräber
M K
MK
Schilling
D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires