Digital pen and paper technology is an effective way of capturing variance data when using arthroplasty clinical pathways

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of digital pen and paper technology (DP&PT) to capture clinical pathway variance data in real time and at the point of care for patients on an arthroplasty pathway. This study was conducted across multiple departments providing orthopaedic services in a public health care facility. Treating clinicians were required to record variance data on a predefined coded template, and these data were uploaded to a database for analysis and reporting. The information could be represented in a web-based user interface for immediate review. User acceptance, length of stay (LOS), accuracy of data, and reliability of the DP&PT hardware were measured. User acceptance was high; LOS reduced; and the data and hardware were, respectively, found to be accurate and robust. This technology provides a dependable, real-time solution to transform handwritten clinical data into a digital format. The data available will help inform clinicians of areas for clinical practice improvement, and provide ongoing monitoring of care processes for patients on a clinical pathway. Future studies should aim to assess if using this method to capture variance data is a more efficient and effective means of informing clinical decision making than retrospective review processes.