Real-Time Management Dashboard as a tool for process improvement at the
Outpatient level in a region of Brazil
Abstract
Background: Specialized outpatient clinics account for about 30% of the
total number of visits in the entire Brazilian health system. The
Real-Time Management Dashboard (RTMD) is a tool that has great potential
to deal with process errors, improve patient care and reduce costs, but
its use is still concentrated in the hospital sector on a small scale.
The aim of this study was to study the implementation and results of
indicators of waiting for time and achievement of goals with the help of
RTMD in a specialized ambulatory care outpatient unit. Method: This is a
longitudinal study in which the analysis of waiting time indicators for
consultations and exams was carried out in September and October,
between 2012 and 2021. Information on user satisfaction with the time of
service in the studied period was also evaluated. Results: A total of
277,925 records from 80,432 patients were analyzed. It could be observed
that the monitoring of waiting time indicators through the RTMD
contributed to better control of the flow of patients within the
ambulatory unit with a decrease in the delay rate after the
implementation of the immediate action protocol and waiting time
classified as excellent by 97.1% of users with respect to the
satisfaction rating. In addition, the RTMD contributed to the
achievement of consultation and examination goals over the 10-year
period of study. Conclusion: The RTMD proved to be a promising tool for
the management of processes within medical specialty outpatient clinics.
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support; Medical Informatics; Primacy Health
Care; Public Health