The efficiency and effectiveness of surgery information systems in Iran

BACKGROUND: Despite the prevalent use and advantages of information systems in hospitals, some have failed to meet their predefined objectives. Surgery information system (SIS) is a sub-system of a hospital information system. Its effective and efficient operation could enhance patient care in the busy environment of operating rooms with multiple tasks. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of SIS in three educational hospitals. METHODS: Data were collected using a questionnaire completed by 82 users of SIS. This questionnaire contains three parts: 1) participants’ demographic information, 2) questions regarding the efficiency of SIS, and 3) questions about its effectiveness. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the efficiency and effectiveness among systems. Chi-squared and Fisher tests were used to determine the relationship between the participants’ demographics and efficiency and effectiveness as well as the relationship between efficiency and effectiveness. RESULTS: About 23% of the participants rated the system’s efficiency as low, 29% as medium, and 48% as high. Besides, 24% of the participants considered the effectiveness of the system as low, 31% as medium, and 45% as high. There was a significant correlation between the efficiency and effectiveness of SIS (p ≤ 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Based on the perspective of most participants (44%)the efficiency and effectiveness of both surgery information systems were acceptable. The results suggest that these systems should be designed in a way that facilitate user’s interaction and reduce the time takes to complete tasks. The results could be useful for developing and designing an efficient and effective system.