Surgical informatics is a useful management tool

Background Management of surgery in the largest health care system in the country depends upon readily available and valid data. Use of an administrative data base had not fulfilled these requirements. An information program based upon the computerized operating room log and scheduling program presented a possible remedy. Methods Data elements previously appearing in the computerized operating room log were expanded to include outcomes. Reports essential to the surgical management of VA surgery were developed through an advisory panel. Necessary changes were added to the surgical computer program and computers installed in each operating room throughout the system. Results The work load information to manage a surgical service was determined to include the total number of operations performed, both major and minor, and a description of the patient population including the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification. The breakdown into the individual surgical specialties, information regarding index operations, extent of resident supervision, and incidence of postoperative occurrences completed the required information. Conclusions The information provided by this report is an example of the importance of the use of surgical informatics in the management of VA surgery. The ability to obtain valid information for analysis and dissemination is a direct result of the computer-generated information taken directly from the surgical log of each of the 126 VA Medical Centers.