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