A web-based app that monitors and displays an array of surgical data in real time has been unveiled at Keck Hospital of USC.

The Perioperative QlikView App displays data for the 24 operating rooms in the Main OR. The app allows physicians and staff to view and analyze data related to the performance of their operating rooms and find ways to improve or root out inefficiencies.

“We are increasing the transparency of our data,” said Felipe Osorno, associate administrator, Performance Management. “The idea is that physicians will have access and be able to look at data to find opportunities for improvement.”

The app shows turnover times, room utilization, case lengths and on-time starts by surgeon, specialty and operating room.

“You can’t improve what you can’t measure,” Osorno said. “Our surgeons are naturally competitive. As soon as we show the data, people want to see their own performance and how they compare to their peers.”

Operational data is displayed in graphs and charts on an electronic dashboard viewable in operating rooms and on handheld devices.

“It helps display visually how we’re doing,” Osorno said. “It gives us the ability to look at data by room, surgeon and specialty to understand how these groups are performing over time.”

The app, a joint project between Data Management, Performance Management and Perioperative Services, takes surgical information directly from the electronic medical record.

Development began during the summer, and the app was unveiled in January to operating room surgeons and staff.

— Douglas Morino