User acceptance of an anaesthesia information management system

Background and objective: This paper describes the user acceptance of an anaesthesia information management system at the University Hospital in Giessen, Germany, after 5 yr of routine use. Methods: A questionnaire with 75 items was distributed to all anaesthesiologists and anaesthetic nurses of the Department of Anaesthesiology. The questions were answered anonymously on a five-point Likert scale. Results: The return rate was 6096 (44 physicians and 24 nurses). The results indicated that the system generally met user expectations. The respondents thought that electronic record keeping improved the quality of their work, and they did not want to switch back to paper records. Problems arose with hardware placement and software features, e.g. coding tools for diagnoses and type of surgery. The perceived quality of training strongly influenced user acceptance. Conclusions: Despite the deficits revealed by the survey, the respondents did not want to switch back to manual record keeping. A structured user survey is a useful tool for the development, adaptation and implementation of an anaesthesia information management system. A training strategy that takes the needs of the users into account is recommended.