Business Intelligence Dashboards for Patient Safety and Quality: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards are interactive data visualization displays identifying key patient quality and safety trends and metrics. Yet, it remains unclear whether dashboards are impacting clinical care for desired organizational outcomes. In this paper we summarize the positive and negative impacts of dashboards on safety and quality from the literature and those insights are used to develop a dashboard checklist tool. The research involved 3 phases. In Phase 1 a narrative literature review used "Dashboards AND ("Patient Safety" OR "Quality")" as primary search terms. In Phase 2, A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis was conducted based on the findings from the previous phase. Strengths and opportunities included focusing on metrics, clear goals, routine data review processes, transparency, quality improvement interventions and centralized monitoring. Weaknesses and threats included usability issues, cultural barriers, wrong metrics, tunnel vision and siloed development. Phase 3 involves translating the SWOT analysis to a checklist for evidence informed dashboard development and deployment.

Keywords: Business intelligence dashboards; quality improvement planning; visibility.