Abstract
The time aspects of daily use of a clinical database system in an endoscopy department
were studied. The SADE database system for endoscopic procedures was introduced for
daily use at Ullevål Hospital on 1 January 1989. The average weekly programme of the
endoscopy unit includes 57 gastroduodenoscopies, 23 colonoscopies and 12 ERCP/EPTs.
During three consecutive weeks of the study the mean physician input time was 4 min
17 sec per patient (range 57 sec to 15 min), individual variation depending mainly
on the extent of the report. Assistants spent a mean time of 4 min 23 sec for each
patient. Thus, a total of 8 min 40 sec was spent for every patient seen. Endoscopic
units should analyze their routines and needs before introducing an electronic data
base manager.
