Health Information from Management to Technology: Development of a Radiology Patient Safety Monitoring System

Background: Medical imaging is an intervention through which patient safety (PS) is of great importance. In monitoring PS, the major challenges include lack of relevant data, proper control, and appropriate feedback in taking the necessary measures. To meet these deficiencies, the related data should be investigated precisely and advanced technology should be applied to monitor the quality of imaging.Objective: The purpose of this study was to design and develop a PS monitoring system at the radiology department to mitigate adverse events.Methods: This developmental research was conducted in multiple phases including content determination using Delphi technique, conceptual modeling using Rational Rose software, database designing using SQL Server, user interface (UI) building using Agile software, and system evaluating in three aspects of UI requirements, the accuracy of calculating, and usability. Results: In this study, 110 PS-related important data elements were identified in 14 main groups and 26 PS performance metrics, as the system contents. The ERD and UML diagrams were drawn and the UI was created in three tabs: pre-procedure, intra-procedure, and post-procedure. Finally, the evaluation results proved the technical feasibility and application prospect of the radiology patient safety monitoring system (RPSMS). Finally, the usability of the system was highly rated (76.3 from 100).Conclusion: The RPSMS, offers the possibility to complement the datasheets for gaining a more accurate picture of the PS status and bringing up its aspects, which might otherwise go unnoticed or be underestimated by clinicians.