DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF A COMPUTER-BASED PREANESTHETIC PATIENT-EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR OBSTETRICAL-ANESTHESIA

Computerization of the medical record in various outpatient settings h as been successful but for anesthesiologists, the preoperative visit d iffers significantly. This study implemented a computerized version of a structured preanesthetic evaluation questionnaire that we had previ ously developed and which provided a starting point for developing a s uitable vocabulary and workflow. Using the computerized version, pre-a nesthetic evaluations were performed on 26 obstetric patients over a 2 0-week period. The introduction oi a computer into the physician-patie nt relationship did not disrupt the examination. It markedly reduced t ime-consuming tasks (such as dictation), captured far more detail than found in our previously dictated and handwritten notes and provided i mmediately available data for quality assurance activities.