Improving health care efficiency one click at a time

Stephen Bacchi; Joshua Kovoor; Aashray Gupta; Sheryn Tan; Tony Sherbon; Andrew Bersten; Patrick G O'Callaghan; Weng O Chan

doi:10.1111/imj.16160

Improving health care efficiency one click at a time

Intern Med J. 2023 Jul;53(7):1261-1264. doi: 10.1111/imj.16160. Epub 2023 Jul 4.

Authors

Stephen Bacchi^{1

2

3

4

5}, Joshua Kovoor^{3

4

5}, Aashray Gupta^{3

5

6}, Sheryn Tan³, Tony Sherbon¹, Andrew Bersten^{1

2}, Patrick G O'Callaghan^{3

4}, Weng O Chan^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
² College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
³ University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁴ Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁵ Health and Information, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁶ Gold Coast University Hospital, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 37401652
DOI: 10.1111/imj.16160

Abstract

Computers are an integral component of modern hospitals. Mouse clicks are currently inherent to this use of computers. However, mouse clicks are not instantaneous. These clicks may be associated with significant costs. Estimated costs associated with 10 additional clicks per day for 20 000 staff exceed AU$500 000 annually. Workflow modifications that increase clicks should weigh the potential benefits of such changes against these costs. Future investigation of strategies to reduce low-value clicks may provide an avenue for health care savings.

Keywords: burnout; computer; costs; savings.

MeSH terms

Computers*
Delivery of Health Care*
Humans
Time Factors
Workflow