2014 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 139-143
Fukuyama Medical Center introduced doctor assistant (DA) staffs in July 2010, and tried to expand their activities with the close cooperation of nurses. Improvement in clerical work was evaluated by comparing before and after the introduction of DA staffs in the division of orthopedic surgery. Before DA staff introduction, the rate of discharge summary report and postscripts to previous hospitals were 20 % and 60 %, respectively, and both of which were increased to 100% after DA staff introduction. Moreover, all the various medical certificates were completed within 2 weeks. In consequence, doctor's clerical work time showed mean reduction of 2.5 hours/day per surgeon, resulting in increase of orthopedic operation cases. All surgeons and nurses in the orthopedic division highly evaluate the performance of DA staff. In conclusion, the introduction of DA staff not only reduced the workload on doctors but also enabled smooth progression of the flow of surgical treatments from admission to discharge.
