End Session Early – Updated Button
Throughout the development of THRIVE we have been working closely with you, the end users and professionals who use it, to build a system that is as simple to use as possible whilst collecting the most accurate data.
As part of our ongoing partnerships with the Trusts we work with, we generate analytical reports to complement the automatically provided live reporting on the site. Whilst looking over the data related to short sessions, the reason ‘Ran Out Of Time’ was reported more often than expected and almost always in line with a session being cut short. After investigation of all the lists that were reporting this reason, especially if more than one procedure per list, we noticed it must be from the automatic feature linked to the End Session button. This was a purposeful feature to make it easier for lists that were over running but needed to end – with the intention that if this was the case it would be simpler to record that they were all cancelled due to running out of time.
Through speaking directly with the end users we discovered that those who were recording multiple ‘Ran Out Of Time’ reasons for a list were all recorded in error due to the built in function to End Session early rather than actually on over-running lists.
Originally a list would have a Start Procedure & Stop Procedure button shown when relevant and an End Session button shown at all times too, with the intention that Start and Stop are used for each procedure and End Session only used at the end of a list to close the list unless there was a sudden end to a session when it could be used to automatically give all remaining procedures the ‘Ran Out of Time’ closure reason.
However, with the result being that End Session was used accidentally more than its intended use, and that it takes only a small amount of time to accurately record specific cancellation reasons, we knew we needed to make a change.
Platform Update
Based on how quick it is to set real cancellation reasons (if required) and the levels of accidental use (very small over all lists but significant when considering overall data accuracy) across all sites – we have removed the option for the End Session button to be shown at all times.
End Session will now only show on a list once all the planned procedures have individually been Started and Stopped and run through their full time or closed/cancelled individually. This means that reporting should now reflect more accurately the true reasons for any procedure cancellation and there can no longer be lists accidentally closed too early. The reason ‘Ran out of time’ can still be selected manually if it is genuinely the reason, but can no longer be accidentally recorded en masse.
Since making this change there are still the occasional instances where lists run out of time and this is provided as a procedure cancellation reason but in the week this was written this was only once across all active rooms.
