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Back to Journals » Clinical Ophthalmology » Volume 17
Authors O’Connell A, Stephenson KAJ, Flitcroft I
Received 4 October 2022
Accepted for publication 20 December 2022
Published 20 January 2023 Volume 2023:17 Pages 291—302
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S387098
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 2
Editor who approved publication: Dr Scott Fraser
Ann O’Connell, Kirk AJ Stephenson, Ian Flitcroft

Ophthalmology Department, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Correspondence: Ann O’Connell, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland, Tel +353 1 8784200, Email [email protected]

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of clinical protocol change via active minimisation on the number of general anaesthetic (GA)/sedation episodes for diagnostic ophthalmic purposes at Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street (CHI-TS), Dublin, Ireland, from 2016 to 2019, inclusive. Change was implemented following published cautionary principles in 2016 by the FDA regarding the potential neurotoxic risk from multiple GA exposure in children.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of electronic operating theatre records was completed using procedure codes “Ophthalmological examination” and “Examination of fundi”. Available records for patients undergoing multiple examination under anaesthesia (EUA) procedures were assessed for demographics, indication. Comparison was made regarding overall EUA numbers and breakdown for each year, before and after the new departmental approach. From 2018 onward, a patient-centred, departmental strategy of active minimisation of EUA was adopted, using strategies of “training, technology and patience”. A literature review was conducted using online databases.
Results: A total of 450 EUAs were performed over the 4 years investigated. In the former 2 years of the study period, prior to departmental policy change, EUAs represented 32% (304 of 948 total theatre episodes) of the ophthalmic theatre caseload. In the latter 2 years of this study period, this proportion fell to 19% (146 EUAs of 783 theatre episodes). Total theatre case numbers were comparable in both time periods. Eighteen children had multiple EUAs (ie, ≥ 2 EUAs, mean 6.5, SD 2.9) for life/sight threatening indications, totalling 116 EUAs (25.7%).
Conclusion: A significant reduction in diagnostic EUA volume was accomplished resulting in reduced individual patient risk and increased capacity for surgical interventions. A detailed description of this methodology is included for the purposes of replication at comparable units. EUA will continue to play a crucial role in the management of life/sight threatening conditions but the application of a cautionary principle to reduce EUA, where possible, is appropriate to reduce potential for neurotoxicity.

Keywords: paediatric ophthalmology, general anaesthesia, developmental neurotoxicity, ophthalmology, examination under anaesthesia, paediatric anaesthesiology

In recent years, there has been growing discussion concerning the potential risk of neurotoxicity in paediatric patients exposed to multiple general anaesthetics (GA). In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory notice on this topic.¹ Following this, the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (APAGBI) produced a guidance document in 2017 regarding a potential association between multiple or prolonged GA and neurotoxicity.² Their recommendations were to limit exposure (volume and duration) to GA for this population, though specialty-specific guidelines are not universally available. The use of GA in paediatric ophthalmology can be divided into diagnostic examination under anaesthesia (EUA), and therapeutic. A coordinated focus on the considered and judicious use of EUA, which forms a significant proportion of GA volume in the specialty, would reduce overall GA burden.
The safety of single and short (ie, <1 hour) exposure to GA in children, including the under 3 years age group, is supported by the available evidence regarding long-term neurocognitive outcomes.^3–5 Ophthalmic procedures in children are usually of limited duration and require a single GA. However, some studies suggest a heightened risk of neurodevelopmental injury with multiple exposures to GA.⁶
In certain life/sight threatening chronic conditions, multiple EUAs may be unavoidable where detailed conscious examination is often precluded in the paediatric age group.^7–10 Examples include cohorts at high risk for familial retinoblastoma (RB), where EUAs to facilitate “intensive” fundus screening may be needed as frequently as every 4 weeks.¹⁰ In congenital glaucoma or Coats’ disease, EUA (±treatment) is often required on a two to three monthly basis until the disease is controlled, with continued surveillance potentially required throughout childhood.^11–13
In the context of intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), or concurrent illness, necessary elements of assessment like cycloplegic refraction, fundal examination or electrophysiology can be very difficult in the awake patient, necessitating sedation or GA.^7,14–16 Ophthalmic manifestations may be an identifying feature of paediatric multisystem disease^17–19 with these children often requiring repeated comprehensive assessments.
Is there an identifiable subset of potentially avoidable EUAs, in spite of the challenging clinical context of many paediatric ophthalmic assessments? The establishment of general guidelines regarding indications for, goals of, and recommended intervals for EUA in paediatric ophthalmology would be instrumental in raising awareness amongst physicians of potential neurotoxicity, potentially reducing the GA burden on this vulnerable patient group. Freedom to deviate from such guidelines is essential as life- and sight-threatening conditions do not always obey protocols.
Potential strategies identified at our unit to reduce EUA burden utilise the principles of “technology, training, and patience.” Embracing novel equipment such as the iCare tonometer (Centrevue SPA, Finland) and wide field Optos retinal photography (Optos plc, UK) contribute useful information within the window of cooperation of a small child.^20,21 Clinician training in techniques such as Mohindra retinoscopy (ie, non-cycloplegic refraction in a darker environment) may be less overwhelming and more tolerable in certain situations (eg, ASD) thus obviating GA. Education on practice guideline updates was continuous, with a particular emphasis on those that may reduce EUA/GA burden. A trial of awake visual electrodiagnostic testing (EDT) in an abridged paediatric protocol may be appropriate in the first instance. A multi-visit approach, underpinned by patience, persistence, and child-centredness, may allow adequate data gathering without the risks to the patient or the influence of GA on data quality/interpretation.^22,23
Using these principles and cognisant of the potential neurodevelopmental toxicity risk of repeated GA, our unit adopted a policy of active minimisation of EUA volume for ophthalmic purposes commencing in 2018. This paper presents an audit of the effect of this clinical policy change, demonstrating significant reductions in overall and individual volume of EUAs. A detailed discussion of the clinical methodology used and a literature review of neurotoxicity risk due to paediatric GA is presented. Herein, we discuss the fundamental concept that GA may not always be required to clinically evaluate the uncooperative child and should be used judiciously to safeguard normal neurodevelopment.
Retrospective analysis of anonymised operating theatre records at CHI-TS was completed from 2016 to 2019 inclusive. Both the total number of GA/sedation episodes and the proportion carried out for diagnostic ophthalmic purposes under Hospital In-Patient Enquiry system codes “Ophthalmological examination” and “Examination of fundi” were identified. This data set was generated using electronic record programmes Ormis (Dedalus, Italy), the Integrated Patient Management System and with the collaboration of the Information Communications Technology department of CHI-TS.
Available records were assessed for patient demographics, type of GA (ie, EUA vs procedure) and indication. A comparison was made between each year regarding overall GA use and breakdown. This audit was approved by the CHI-TS institutional clinical audit review group (CA2012-05) and adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Individual patient written consent was not required due to the anonymised nature of the dataset collected. All data was collected and stored in compliance with national General data protection legislation (GDPR).
Active minimisation involved a patient-centred “training, technology and patience” strategy, employed in the outpatient setting. Suitable cases of children with non-emergent, non-life-threatening and non-immediately sight threatening disease were identified at the point of care who may otherwise have proceeded to EUA in the first instance for completion of their ophthalmic assessment. Specific methods under the heading of “training” employed to actively minimise EUAs where possible were 1. Upskilling staff in the use of the Mohindra retinoscopy technique. It was trialled for the assessment of patients with intellectual disability/ASD requiring accurate refraction, 2. Departmental guidelines were updated to reflect the most up-to-date information from the literature (eg, deferral of nasolacrimal duct (NLD) probing/intubation until at least after 1 year of age). 3. Staff training in the utility of newly available investigations (eg, pedigree testing in RB to inform sibling surveillance intervals). Under the heading of “technology”, active minimisation strategies involved the introduction of novel equipment to our department, namely, iCare rebound tonometry, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Optos wide field colour photography for rapid image acquisition. “Patience” was employed by 1. Gathering information over a multi-visit approach, and 2. Awake EDT was attempted in the first instance, conducted by an experienced senior electrophysiologist. 3. In advance of appointments and when available, children were invited to utilise the new departmental “sensory room”, in order to maximise patient acclimatisation to the clinical environment, promoting comfort and calm. In-depth discussion of the practicalities of implementation of the above methods and the literature providing rationale for their use is found below in the “Discussion” section.
Available literature on GA-associated neurotoxicity in paediatric populations was examined. Literature review was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases and Google Scholar. Combinations of Medical subject headings (MeSH), their synonyms and international spelling equivalents were used (Table 1). Key core search terms were “ophthalmology”, “paediatrics”, “anaesthesia”, “neurotoxicity” and “risk”. Further refined searches were carried out, substituting “ophthalmology” with “dentistry”, “radiology”, “ENT” and their respective alternative international equivalent terms and synonyms. Comparably to ophthalmology, these subspecialties typically carry out EUAs in the paediatric population of our institution.

Table 1 Results Used for Statistical Analysis

Table 1 Results Used for Statistical Analysis
EUAs constituted 35.2% of ophthalmic theatre episodes (187/532 GAs) in 2016 and 28.1% (117/416 GAs) in 2017. This reduced to 18.1% (67/371 GAs) in 2018 and 19.1% (79/412 GAs) in 2019.
Overall, in the former half of the study period, 2016 to 2017 inclusive, prior to departmental policy change regarding timing/use of EUAs, 304 EUAs represented 32% of the total 948 episodes in the ophthalmic theatre.
In the latter 2 years of this study period (2018 and 2019), EUAs fell to 19% (146 EUAs of 783 theatre episodes). It is noted that total theatre case numbers were comparable in both time periods (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Proportion of examination under anaesthesia (EUA) procedures (blue) and non-EUA procedures (Orange) as proportions of total number of paediatric ophthalmology theatre procedures from 2016–2019. Note the decreasing proportion of EUAs across the study period representing active policy change in EUA booking. Abbreviation: EUA, examination under anaesthetic.

Figure 1 Proportion of examination under anaesthesia (EUA) procedures (blue) and non-EUA procedures (Orange) as proportions of total number of paediatric ophthalmology theatre procedures from 2016–2019. Note the decreasing proportion of EUAs across the study period representing active policy change in EUA booking.
Abbreviation: EUA, examination under anaesthetic.
A total of 450 EUAs were performed across the 4-year study period, 68% (304/450) of which were performed in the first half of the study. Of these, 116 EUAs (25.7% of all GAs over 4 years) were accounted for by the 18 children who had ≥2 EUAs (mean 6.5 EUAs, SD 2.9). Regarding individual case breakdown, eight of these children had RB (44%), five had glaucoma including Peters anomaly (28%), four had Coats’ Disease (22%) and one was unknown due to unattainable hard copy clinical records (6%) (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Case breakdown of those that underwent multiple (≥2) EUAs, n = 18, during the study period, 2016–2019. Abbreviations: RB, Retinoblastoma; Coats’, Coats’ disease.

Figure 2 Case breakdown of those that underwent multiple (≥2) EUAs, n = 18, during the study period, 2016–2019.
Abbreviations: RB, Retinoblastoma; Coats’, Coats’ disease.
Four children had 8 or more diagnostic procedures (mean 10 procedures, SD 1.6), all of these occurring in the first 2 years of the study period. Two of these were RB cases (50%), one glaucoma (25%) and the other unknown (25%) (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Case breakdown of those that underwent 8 or more EUAs (n = 4). Abbreviation: RB, Retinoblastoma.

Figure 3 Case breakdown of those that underwent 8 or more EUAs (n = 4).
Abbreviation: RB, Retinoblastoma.
The statistical significance of the change in numbers of EUAs over the four-year period was examined using the Chi-square test with the null hypothesis that there was no difference in the number of EUAs vs non-EUA cases over the four-year period (Table 1). This analysis showed that the change in EUA numbers over the four-year period was statistically significant (Chi-squared = 46.27, n = 1731, df = 3, p-value <0.00001).
Literature review search for GA-associated neurotoxicity in paediatric populations yielded a total of 3196 search results. Search terms and combinations are outlined in Table 2. Only published peer-reviewed data were included. Abstracts and non-English language articles were excluded.

Table 2 Literature Search Terms

Table 2 Literature Search Terms
On refined search, there were no systematic reviews, meta-analyses, review articles or randomised controlled trials specific to the subspecialties of ophthalmology, radiology, dentistry or ENT identified. On further search, three articles were relevant to the clinical question posed; one randomized controlled trial, and two review articles.^3,4,24 Individual trials of relevance and interest were identified from manual analysis of reference lists of the above literature searches.
A significant reduction in diagnostic EUA volume was accomplished by the CHI-TS ophthalmology department between 2016 and 2019. The proportion represented by EUAs of total theatre cases decreased from 35.2% and 28.1% in the first two years to 18.1% and 19.1% in the latter two years. There is an increase in total cases between 2018 and 2019 (ie, 371 to 412). Thus, assuming the same proportion of EUAs in both years it would be expected that there would be a small increase in number of EUAs also (Table 1).
This reduction in total number of EUAs and their proportion of total ophthalmic surgical throughput was achieved utilising the minimally invasive and innovative “technology, training and patience” strategies which resulted in a reduced burden of exposure to GA in our patient group. This did not represent reduced productivity, but rather redistribution of resources (ie, maximizing examination options in clinic) and reserving finite operating theatre resources for therapeutic interventions. As total theatre episodes were comparable in both time periods, this represents a greater proportion of interventions per annum. Thus, reduction of EUA volume not only reduces the potential neurotoxic burden, enhancing quality of care for the individual child but could also increase capacity for surgical interventions; we see non-EUA procedures make up a larger proportion of total theatre cases in the latter half of this study. Though not formally evaluated here, we postulate this could indirectly contribute to reduced waiting lists for the whole ophthalmic paediatric population and additionally carry an associated healthcare cost benefit associated with reduction in EUA/GA episodes.²⁵
EUAs and therapeutic surgical interventions are not undertaken for trivial reasons and clinicians generally aim to reduce their number, postpone, or avoid GAs altogether whenever possible. There is growing international interest in the identification of safe and effective alternatives to GA for EUA.²⁶ The initiatives employed in this study may be of relevance and benefit to other comparable paediatric ophthalmology units, similarly endeavoring to reduce the burden of avoidable EUAs in the evaluation of the paediatric patient. To this end, a detailed description is provided herein.
Firstly, this involved embracing the advent of new technologies to provide less invasive evaluation options, where available. iCare rebound tonometry was incorporated at the initial Nurse-led assessment for all clinic patients, following staff education in its use (also demonstrating the second “training” element). Measurement takes place following a brief clinical history, gross ophthalmic inspection, visual acuity measurement and crucially before potentially uncomfortable dilating drops are instilled that risk loss of the child’s cooperation. Valuable IOP measurement is gathered painlessly, at this point of potential maximal cooperation, and before children become unduly fatigued awaiting physician assessment.
Experienced ophthalmic nurses used this opportunity to identify those with previous recorded difficulty with cycloplegic drop instillation or awake refraction. This can be especially relevant in children with ID, chromosomal abnormalities (eg, Children with Trisomy 21, in whom atropine may be contraindicated, though evidence is conflicting^27,28) or ASD who have concurrent refractive error. If suitable and with parental input, a trial of Mohindra refraction in the clinic setting can be offered.^29,30 In this instance, physician training was required in the use of this technique, which utilises a darkened room with only the retinoscope light to focus on. It is performed at a working distance of 50cm and conventionally involves a corrective subtraction of +1.25D from the final objective spherical result. Advantages include a calm, darkened, less overwhelming environment for children susceptible to overstimulation and distraction. Additionally, it dispenses with the need for cycloplegic pharmacological agents, with their potential for associated ocular discomfort on instillation and other undesired affects.^31,32 Anecdotally, this technique, originally described in 1975 by Mohindra,³³ has proven useful to obviate the need for refraction under GA/EUA for a number of cases. Engaging the “training and patience” strategies, parents were upskilled in instillation and effects of cycloplegic drops for select cases. When administered as “home dilation” time could elapse for any associated distress to have resolved by the time of examination, while the effects of the drops persist.
Departmental training included dissemination of updated guidelines. These include avoidance of NLD intubation until after 1 year of age in congenital NLD obstruction, which has a high rate of spontaneous resolution by this time.³⁴ Genetic pedigree analysis of siblings with RB informs and potentially lengthens their fundal examination screening intervals, if required at all.³⁵
Technological advances in ophthalmic imaging systems such as the RetCam (Clarity Medical Systems, India) and ultra-widefield retinal imaging [Optos and Zeiss Clarus 500 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Germany)]^20,21,36,37 have led to faster acquisition times, in the setting of the potentially narrow window of a child’s cooperation. Exciting advances suggest that integration of artificial intelligence software into RetCam could be utilised in the diagnosis/classification of ROP on site or remotely,³⁸ potentially further reducing EUA burden.
EUA is used as standard for EDT in other international settings,³⁹ or under sedation with quoted rates of 70% requiring pharmacological measures.⁴⁰ As part of the “patience” strategy, EDT was initially trialled awake, overseen by the senior departmental electrophysiologist. Prior to testing (and indeed before all clinical assessment or investigations, eg, Optos photography/OCT imaging) children were invited to spend time in the departmental sensory room, when time allowed. This is a dedicated, relaxed space incorporating fibre-optics, bubble tubes, tactile objects and soft seating to allow immersion in a comfortable environment. We observed a calming effect for our patients, promoting increased cooperation, mirroring published data.^41,42 In the setting of minimal cooperation, prioritising of tests as per clinical indication guided their running order and acquisition speed. Children were allowed time to acclimatise to the dark environment and bottle feeding/cartoon watching on mobile devices were utilised as distraction techniques for electrode placement. All tests were performed according to International society of clinical electrophysiology and vision (ISCEV) guidelines.⁴³ Benefits were observed particularly in children with ID/ASD/sensory processing issues or behavioural challenges. We feel this has contributed to the overall success in obtaining clinically relevant data without the need for EUA, but it is acknowledged that this is a difficult metric to formally measure and further study/audit is required. A conscious drive to reduce EUA/GA burden by promoting alternatives such as chloral hydrate sedation for EDT, among other ophthalmic procedures, is described in literature.^26,44 However, this is not a strategy available at our unit to date.
In ophthalmic conditions that were neither life- nor sight-threatening, a new approach by departmental staff was taken to attempt clinical data gathering over several visits, if necessary, rather than defaulting automatically to EUA/GA. This multi-visit approach, underpinned by patience, persistence, and child-centredness, often allowed adequate data gathering without the risks to the patient or the influence of GA on the data quality/interpretation.
Those that underwent multiple EUAs were accounted for in the case breakdown by the life and sight threatening conditions discussed earlier. This underpins the crucial role EUAs will likely always play in this cohort of conditions in paediatric ophthalmology. Of note, some, if not all, of the RB and glaucoma cases who underwent 8 or more EUAs may have had a therapeutic intervention during these encounters. Pre-procedure parental discussion/consent is essential to provide the option to examine and treat concurrently, preventing the need to return for a further, delayed GA. This also confers benefit in affording earlier intervention and better outcomes in time-sensitive or progressive conditions. Many cases of RB requiring radio- or chemotherapy are referred from CHI-TS to a subspecialising UK centre. Thus, the true volume for this vulnerable patient group is not completely captured here. Specialists caring for such malignant or imminently sight-threatening pathology will necessarily carry the disproportionate burden of EUA/GAs and this should be borne in mind when evaluating any similar audit results at comparable centres.
No individual anaesthetic agent, delivery method, or combination of agents to date has conclusively demonstrated neuroprotective or more potent neurotoxic effects over another in the context of multiple GA exposures.^2,45,46 “Balanced anaesthesia” is achieved through small and safe doses from 3 categories of drugs (ie, analgesic, anaesthetic and muscle relaxation drugs) during the three key phases of induction, maintenance, and emergence. The underpinning concept is maximizing the beneficial effects of each agent while avoiding potential adverse effects associated with larger doses of any single agent.
Pain itself has a neurotoxic effect^47,48 and must be balanced with the increased risk (apnoea, respiratory depression, tolerance, and hypoxia) of intraoperative analgesic agents (eg, opioids including fentanyl). Increased fentanyl concentrations are found in the brain tissue of neonates and young infants due to an immature blood-brain barrier⁴⁵ through direct causation with neurotoxic injury has not been established.⁴⁹
Most elective paediatric GA in Ireland are typically managed with inhalational sevoflurane/isoflurane ±nitrous oxide for induction and maintenance^50,51 When induction and maintenance of anaesthesia is through IV agents this is referred to as “total intravenous anaesthesia” (TIVA) and is preferentially employed in certain circumstances (eg, history of severe post-operative nausea and vomiting, certain day case procedures, trainee teaching, anticipated difficult airway management, etc.).⁵² TIVA can involve a combination of agents with synergistic effects, eg, remifentanil potentiates the effects of propofol, reducing required propofol dose by ~50%.⁵³ It has not been established if TIVA can offer a reduced neurotoxic risk over inhalational methods; however, lower required drug doses would imply less risk.
There exists considerable controversy on this question, with conflicting published data.
Animal studies (eg, nematodes, rodents, and primates) have demonstrated histopathological changes in their developing brains following GA exposure. Proposed mechanisms include apoptotic injury, reactive oxygen species damage, neuroinflammation, and variable expression at N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) receptors. Virtually all anaesthetic agents in common clinical practice are implicated, exerting effects as NMDA antagonists (eg, ketamine, nitrous oxide) and GABA agonists (eg, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, propofol, volatile anaesthetics)⁵⁴ It is difficult to extrapolate these findings to the developing human brain for several reasons and thankfully these findings have failed to replicate in human studies.^2,55
The GA compared to Spinal anaesthesia in infancy (GAS) trial is the only randomised controlled trial evaluating neurotoxicity risk with GA in children. It compared two groups of approximately 350 children randomised to undergo awake-regional anaesthesia or sevoflurane-based GA for elective hernia repair. Supplemental anaesthetic agents were not allowed in the GA group. The surgery duration was <1 hour. It demonstrates that sevoflurane held no additional neurotoxic risk over regional anaesthesia at five-year analysis, using intelligence quotient (IQ) scores as a comparative metric.⁴
The Paediatric Anaesthesia Neuro Development Assessment (PANDA) study was an ambidirectional, multicentre, sibling-matched cohort study in the United States between 2009 and 2015. Otherwise-healthy children who had one GA exposure for inguinal hernia repair before the age of 3 years were evaluated prospectively for IQ scores, neurocognitive, and neurobehavioral effects. These children, aged 8 to 15 years, were matched to a sibling within 36 months of their age who had no GA exposure. Anaesthetic agents used included volatile agents (eg, sevoflurane, isoflurane), IV agents (eg, propofol, thiopental, ketamine, midazolam, opioids) and adjunct caudal anaesthesia. There was no specific exploration of patient outcome according to the individual or combination of anaesthetic agents used. No statistically significant difference in the global cognitive/IQ scores of the exposed versus unexposed groups was demonstrated. Children who underwent multiple GA were not included.³
A similar Danish age-matched cohort study of 2689 children showed no difference in academic performance by age 15 or 16 years. Again, individual anaesthetic agents used in the exposure group were not analysed for relative risk.⁵⁴ A recent dentistry publication showed no difference in full-scale IQ scores, the primary outcome, when measured 6 months after awake-local anaesthesia procedures (n = 144) versus sevoflurane-based GA procedures (n = 129) in children under 7 years old.⁵⁶ This was despite the mean duration of these procedures being longer than 1 hour.
Most available evidence supports the neurodevelopmental safety of a single short (<1 hour) GA exposure in children, with most ophthalmic EUA/procedures falling within this criterion. However, not all studies concur. An Australian observational data linkage study in 2018 specifically aimed to minimise confounders. It found that children exposed to one hospitalisation and/or one GA before the age of 4 demonstrated lower numeracy scores on high school entry testing than those who had no exposure.⁵⁷ Further publications suggest statistically significant reduction in IQ, language comprehension, and cognition with a single GA exposure.^58,59 A limitation of the evidence above is a lack of standardisation between scoring methods and correction for confounders. Establishing direct causation is challenging.
The Mayo Anaesthesia Safety in Kids (MASK) study addressed neurodevelopmental outcomes from multiple GA exposure. IQ scores and neuropsychological assessments were taken as primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. An association between GA exposure before age 3 and IQ was not demonstrated. However, those in the multiple exposure group demonstrated neuropsychological testing patterns associated with behavioural and learning difficulties, with modest reductions in cognitive processing speed and fine motor coordination.⁵
The Mayo Clinic published several large, retrospective, paediatric population-based cohort studies. In summary, those undergoing multiple GA at a young age had a significantly increased risk for the development of learning disability (LD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at an older age. Wilder et al state that participants with no or one exposure to GA had no increased risk of LD development. However, 35% of those multiply exposed before 4 years of age developed LD by 19 years versus 20% of the unexposed. Sprung et al quote an incidence of 10.7% of ADHD by the age of 19 in those multiply exposed to GA before the age of 2 years versus 7.3% in the unexposed. Authors acknowledge that patients with LD may be overrepresented in this study due to active/detailed investigation for LD and above average retention of patients in their well-regarded local health services. Though children that require multiple procedures likely have a higher burden of illness, increasing their risk of LD, researchers remained unconvinced that increased risk was fully attributable to these non-GA-associated confounders.^60–63
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPC) was a United Kingdom (UK) cohort study enrolling 13,433 children and compared 46 neurocognitive outcomes after single and multiple exposure to GA. It revealed some important results, namely lower motor and linguistic skills in all those exposed regardless of number of exposures. Additionally, dynamic balance, and behavioural scores were lower in the multiply exposed.⁶⁴
Strengths of this study are the comparable 2-year period data sets from before and after the implementation of a new departmental strategy, allowing clear comparison of ophthalmic theatre use. Practical, patient centred methods to potentially reduce overall EUA numbers are generalisable and transferrable to most similarly equipped, tertiary paediatric ophthalmology departments. The technologies discussed are widely available at most European/North American centres. Analysis from the perspective of cost benefit was not carried out but would be expected to mirror the literature, demonstrating savings to the healthcare system for reduction of GA for EUA while reducing waiting lists for surgical interventions.²⁵
Limitations of this study include its relatively short follow up. The retrospective observational design means that the ophthalmic diagnosis of children who avoided EUA in the latter half of the study period were not captured here. Surgical theatre records were used to generate the data set, which do not always capture if therapeutic intervention was undertaken during the procedure. Further study including comprehensive chart review of all patients involved, including who underwent EUA and those in which it was deferred or avoided altogether is suggested. Formalised audit of the impact of individual methods used to reduce EUA burden would be helpful, eg, reduction in numbers of EDT events requiring reversion to GA following initial attempt at awake testing. However, due in part to a heavy reliance on hard-copy medical records, this information was not uniformly recorded in clinical notes. Rather, anecdotal comparison through staff interview was relied upon, with the possibility of recall bias, etc. However, overall, the above approaches are potentially useful data that would help identify cases suitable for EUA deferral/avoidance at other units who may wish to adopt a similar approach. Coming from an ophthalmic perspective, comprehensive markers of neurodevelopment/toxicity (eg, sibling-matched IQ) were not assessed and further study would be required to report future incidence/prevalence figures of neurotoxicity among those exposed in this study, acknowledging that causation is difficult to establish in the literature (eg, the effect of underlying medical conditions, multiple exposures to hospitalisation etc).
The PANDA, GAS and MASK studies demonstrate that single, short (<1 hour) exposure to GA in childhood confers minimal risk of neurodevelopmental injury.^3–5 However, the published data does not fully resolve the issue of the risk of neurotoxicity from ≥2 GA in the paediatric population.^57–59 All studies to date have been observational, apart from the GAS trial, which itself was limited regarding the neurotoxic risk through multiple exposures.⁴
Deliberate design of future studies is critical to attempt further clarification of neurodevelopmental risk from the individual factors (ie, patient, medication/pharmacological, surgical intervention) involved in GA. RCTs are difficult to power while maintaining the safety of the populace, and thus endpoints/outcome measures of case control/cohort studies⁶⁴ must be deliberately designed and validated. A 2019 review article emphasises that delay of elective surgery until after age 3 or 4 is preferable for risk mitigation while further work is carried out to determine the most vulnerable age ranges and if certain anaesthetic agents are less toxic within particular age groups.⁶⁵ Perhaps, a particular investigation will emerge as an objective and reproducible means of evaluating established neurotoxic damage or, better yet, to identify the most at-risk population before exposure. A small 2019 study by Oba et al suggested visually evoked potential (VEP) responses as an objective, reliable measurement of neurotoxicity in children multiply exposed to GA on at least 15 occasions during treatment for corrosive oesophagitis. VEPs were performed in awake patients at least 3 days post op and compared with those of children with no previous GA exposure exposed to GA.⁶⁶ A validated pre-EUA checklist may augment the decision-making process in a paediatric ophthalmology setting.
We have demonstrated significant reductions in EUAs through the application of a cautionary principle that repeated GA exposure in children may have deleterious neurocognitive effects over time. Active minimisation was achieved with the use of minimally invasive and innovative strategies for the evaluation of the paediatric patient such as new technology, updated training, and a multi-visit approach, thus leaving GA/EUA for unavoidable, challenging cases where the benefit outweighs potential risk. Reducing EUA/GA when possible, represents a common-sense, multidisciplinary teamwork approach between ophthalmologists and anaesthesiologists. Common goals are to minimise individual patient risk, maintain surgical list efficiency and reduce waiting lists. We believe the methods outlined adopted by our centre can be used to facilitate awake assessment of variably cooperative children in similarly equipped units internationally.
Is it advisable to discuss this potential issue with patients and parents, balancing this with the risk of causing unnecessary stress and fear? Some do advocate for this approach.⁶⁷ The current consensus of the anaesthesia community of Ireland and the UK is that a discussion on this topic is not mandatory for every preoperative consultation.²
Any potential for harm through clinical intervention will remain an area of great interest to paediatric ophthalmologists, balanced with avoidance of delay for vital diagnostic/therapeutic indications, as echoed in the 2017 amendment to the original FDA advisory.⁶⁸ Until this important clinical question can be definitively answered, all emerging evidence will be closely debated and scrutinised.
Anonymised data supporting the results reported in this manuscript are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
Gillian O’Mullane – Head orthoptist/senior electrophysiologist and Sabrina Shanahan, Clinical nurse manager at the paediatric ophthalmology department, CHI-TS: data collection assistance and the ongoing, excellent care of study participants. Dr Aoife Doolan, Consultant Anaesthetist, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin: scholarly discussion contributing to the development of the article.
This study was non-interventional, involving the retrospective analysis of anonymised data, adhering to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
The authors have no competing interests to declare, financial or non-financial.
1. FDA. Drug Safety Communication: FDA review results in new warnings about using general anesthetics and sedation drugs in young children and pregnant women; 2016. Available from: www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm532356htm. Accessed January 9, 2023.
2. Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. Joint Professional Guidance on the Use of Anaesthesia in Young Children. APAGBI; 2017.
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Verified reviewers place Adept at the top for Best Usability, Fastest Implementation, Best Support, and Best Relationship
Verified reviewers place Synergis Adept engineering document management at the top for Best Usability, Fastest Implementation, Best Support, and Best Relationship (Graphic: Business Wire)
Verified reviewers place Synergis Adept engineering document management at the top for Best Usability, Fastest Implementation, Best Support, and Best Relationship (Graphic: Business Wire)

QUAKERTOWN, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Synergis Software, a global leader in engineering document management and workflow solutions, announced today that Synergis Adept was named as a Leader in the Enterprise Content Management and Product Data Management categories in the G2 Spring 2022 Grid® Reports. G2 is a peer-to-peer business software review website that helps companies choose the best tools for their business. Products in the Leader quadrant are rated highly by verified users of the software product and have significant market presence scores.

According to G2’s 2022 Spring Reports, Adept software earned 18 G2 Badges with top placements for “Best Usability”, “Fastest Implementation”, “Ease of Setup”, “Ease of Admin”, and “Highest User Adoption”, and grade the company as “Easiest to do Business With” and “Best Support”—recognition Synergis has received consistently over the past seven quarters.
“These achievements reflect the experience we deliver with our software and the relationships we build with some of the world’s best companies,” says Scott Lamond, vice president of marketing at Synergis Software. “Delivering value in ways that are meaningful to our customers is our top priority, so the G2 results really matter to us. Our customers range from small to very large across varied industries, and they’re all part of the Synergis family. We’re grateful for their trust and inspired to bring them even greater value as we grow together.”
G2 highlights the value of Adept engineering document management software across three categories: Enterprise Content Management, Product Data Management, and Construction Drawing Management. G2 Spring 2022 badges include:
The G2 reports are based on direct customer feedback combined with G2’s unique algorithm that calculates customer satisfaction and market presence scores in real-time.
For more details about Adept in the G2 Spring 2022 Reports, visit our website.
Quotes from Verified Users about Synergis Adept
“Adept manages billions of dollars of digital assets containing priceless Dow intellectual property, with thousands of users across several dozen global sites.”
Teresa Yang, Product Manager, Document Management, Dow Chemical
“No other software company anywhere works as closely with their customers. The staff is incredibly responsive and consistently goes above and beyond to solve customer issues. For a system your business cannot operate without, this is invaluable.”
Ryan Mongeau, Director of Technology, Space Age Electronics
“Adept has improved our efficiency/processes by 200%. What once took hours in the old systems, I can do in minutes. It’s a very powerful system with unlimited possibilities for adding more useful information for future projects. And the Helpdesk team can tackle and/or resolve any issue I bring to them to improve or streamline our processes.”
Milias H, The Folger Company, Document Control Service Provider
About Synergis Software
Synergis Software is a global leader in document management and workflow solutions and is the creator of Synergis Adept software. Adept serves more than 120,000 users across dozens of industries providing fast, centralized access to design and business documents in a secure, collaborative environment. Adept Integrator connects your enterprise applications so your data and business processes flow seamlessly across your entire IT infrastructure.
Named the customer service leader in the global engineering information management market by Frost & Sullivan and ranked in the Top 5 globally by Helpdesk International for three consecutive years, our commitment to clients is unwavering.
Founded in 1985, Synergis Technologies, LLC is headquartered in Bucks County, PA and is privately owned and funded.
Adept has been battle tested by engineers for over 30 years with customers such as Dow Chemical, Con Edison, General Mills, Merck, NASA, and Nucor Steel.
About G2 Crowd
G2 is the world’s largest tech marketplace where businesses can discover, review, and manage the technology they need to reach their potential. Today, more than 3M people visit G2 to read and write authentic reviews about thousands of software products and professional services.
Scott Lamond
Vice President of Marketing
Synergis Software
Email: scott.lamond@synergis.com
Phone: (215) 302-3006
Synergis Adept recognized as a Leader in ECM & PDM in G2 Spring 2022 reports, ranking first in usability, implementation, support, and relationship.
Scott Lamond
Vice President of Marketing
Synergis Software
Email: scott.lamond@synergis.com
Phone: (215) 302-3006

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September 22 2022

Although Microsoft Dynamics ERPs offer robust capabilities, sometimes organizations realize they have specialized requirements not covered by their out-of-the-box solution. When that happens, they can turn to third-party solutions to ensure that their ERP system will meet their needs.
MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW) and ERP Software Blog have partnered to bring you a series of Financial Management Tools Showcase events on October 4,5, and 6. These virtual events are designed for finance-focused Dynamics GP, Dynamics 365 Business Central (NAV), and D365 Finance (AX) users and consultants interested in new and innovative ISV solutions that boost performance and broaden their digital capabilities. Each of the three sessions will focus on tools for a specific product. Join all three or choose the best fit.
Over the three sessions you will see demos from eleven unique vendors, each with their own expertise and specialized products that have a proven record of adding measurable value to your Microsoft Dynamics ERP.  We asked our expert presenters for a sneak preview of the information attendees can expect to take away from the event. Here is what they told us: 
Avalara – Tax (Finance/BC/GP)
Bluefort – Subscription Technology (Finance)
DATABASICS – Timesheets & Expense Reporting (Finance)
Dynamic Budgets – Budgeting, Forecasting, and Reporting (BC/GP)
ERP Connect Consulting – Auto Create Dimensions Tool (BC)
HighRadius – AR/Collections (Finance)
Metafile Information Systems – Document Management (Finance)
Nolan Business Solutions – Cash Management Solutions (GP)
PairSoft – AP Automation (BC/GP)
Prophix – Corporate Performance Management (GP)
Paymate Software – HR, Payroll (BC)
Don’t miss this opportunity to supercharge the financial management capabilities of your Dynamics ERP system.
If you can’t make it, register anyway to get access to the recording.

Anya Ciecierski has worked in sales and marketing in the Microsoft Dynamics channel since 1999. In 2009 she co-founded ERP Software Blog and CRM Software Blog then added ERP Cloud Blog, now the largest group blogs in the space.  These sites encourage collaboration between 150 Dynamics partners across the world and educate more than 90,000 readers each month. Anya is committed to the idea of “using the power of the group” to benefit the community as a whole. She also leads the Channel Marketing Academy, a project to connect marketing professionals to share ideas.
More about Anya Ciecierski

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DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) announced today that the Department of Homeland Security renewed its contract to support Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with Investigative Case Management (ICM) software. The contract is worth $95.9M over a five-year period.
Since 2011, Palantir has partnered with HSI to advance its mission of investigating and preventing transnational crime and high-level threats that exploit international trade, travel, and financial infrastructure. HSI’s core mission includes combating human trafficking and child exploitation, dismantling international drug trafficking organizations, disrupting cyber criminals, preventing identify and benefit fraud, and the investigation of international war crimes.
Investigative Case Management (ICM) is HSI’s System of Record across all HSI investigative cases and is used by HSI Special Agents, Criminal Analysts, and support personnel located in 225 cities across the nation and in embassies around the globe. In accordance with HSI’s enforcement authorities, ICM users document investigative activities leading up to the prosecution of criminal parties. HSI selected Palantir’s software for speed of delivery as well as the platform’s leading edge access controls and data protections to enforce critical security and privacy standards.
For example, the HSI team has used ICM to support the enforcement of sanctions on Russian oligarchs, the arrest of foreign mercenaries for the assassination of the former President of Haiti, and the arrest of key cartel leaders. Last year, HSI’s impact included 34,974 criminal arrests; seizure of 14,530 pounds of Fentanyl and $822 million worth of counterfeit and illicit goods; and the rescue or identification of 1,177 child exploitation victims.
“Every single day, HSI personnel use Palantir’s software to execute their mission of investigating and disrupting major criminal networks that threaten our national security and undermine our critical infrastructure,” said Akash Jain, President of Palantir USG. “The positive impact of this work is real and Palantir’s software plays a critical role in making it possible. We remain firmly committed to HSI’s mission and the Special Agents and Analysts driving this impact day in and out.”
About Palantir Technologies Inc.
Foundational software of tomorrow. Delivered today. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements may relate to, but are not limited to, Palantir’s expectations regarding the amount and the terms of the contract and the expected benefits of our software platforms. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and were based on current expectations as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management as of that time with respect to future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties include our ability to meet the unique needs of our customer; the failure of our platforms to satisfy our customer or perform as desired; the frequency or severity of any software and implementation errors; our platforms’ reliability; and our customer’s ability to modify or terminate the contract. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties is included in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.
Lisa Gordon
media@palantir.com
Lisa Gordon
media@palantir.com

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Digital Product Lifecycle Accelerator  Collins Aerospace
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In this edition of Insider we look at how our…
A provider of document management software and systems has been acquired by listed business Grafenia in a deal worth up to £2.5m.
Watermark Technologies was founded in 2003 by Tim Boggie and Stewart Spink, both of whom will remain on a part time consultancy basis for six months. Watermark currently has 11 employees.
The total consideration of up to £2.5m will be satisfied in cash.
An initial £1.5m to be paid on completion, together with deferred consideration of £1m to be paid on the first anniversary of completion.
James Hughes, a corporate development associate within Grafenia’s Software Circle team, has been appointed managing director of Watermark.
Gavin Cockerill, acting chief executive of Grafenia, said: “The acquisition of Watermark is yet another step toward growing our software nucleus. Maximising what Grafenia is good at, selling and supporting software systems that help businesses run better.”
Tim Boggie and Stewart Spink, joint founders of Watermark, added: “We had been planning for retirement and actively seeking a new owner for the business we have built and cherished over 20 years.
“We believe Grafenia is the perfect home to provide continuity of support and maintain long term customer relationships developed over many years. We look forward to seeing Watermark thrive in a larger group.”
Allenby Capital is Grafenia’s nominated adviser and broker.
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May 10, 2022 10:30 ET | Source: Persistence Market Research Persistence Market Research
New York, New York, UNITED STATES
New York, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As per a study by Persistence Market Research, from US$ 4.6 Billion in 2022 to US$ 10.4 Billion in 2032, the global Online Project Management Software Market is predicted to grow at an 8.5% CAGR from 2022 to 2032. One of the major key factors such as the rise in remote working is also augmenting the growth of the online project management software market. Since the pandemic outbreak in 2020, remote working has significantly gained traction. Remote working will likely continue for the foreseeable future. This has brought up some interesting challenges for project managers.

According to the Gartner survey of 2020, 74% of companies are planning to shift to remote work post-COVID-19 permanently. Online project management software can be a major benefit in these circumstances. Therefore, it is expected that demand for online project management software will increase during the forecast period. Increasing requirements for large-scale project management is notably driving the online project management software market growth during the forecast period. Another major factor that is fueling the growth of the global online project management software market includes the increasing requirements for large-scale project management.
Moreover, the capability of minimizing project risks and cost has directed small and medium enterprises to adopt the software for optimization of project management. Growing demand for automation of business process management is also expected to fuel the online project management market growth. The customized offering of the industries expected to enhance the demand for project management software in the forthcoming years.
Request for sample copy of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/33076
Key Takeaways from the Market Study
Competitive Landscape
Major players such as ActiveCollab LLC, Apptio Inc., Asana Inc., Atlassian Corp. Plc., Basecamp LLC, Citrix Systems Inc., Clarizen Inc., LiquidPlanner Inc., Mavenlink Inc., Codleo, SAP, Microsoft Corp., Planbox Inc., Premiere Global Services Inc., ProjectManager.com Inc., Redbooth, Smartsheet Inc., TeamGantt, Teamwork Crew Ltd., Workfront Inc., Wrike Inc., Zoho Corp. Pvt. Ltd., among others are expected to dominate the market share in terms of revenue.
Know the methodology of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/33076
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Trevian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Rating) by 10.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,630 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 2.0% of Trevian Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Trevian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Monumental Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Newfound Research LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 25.4% during the second quarter. Newfound Research LLC now owns 296 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $104,000. Darrow Company Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $82,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the third quarter worth about $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.15% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Judson Althoff sold 24,144 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.27, for a total value of $6,139,094.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 150,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,152,450.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $235.81 on Thursday. Microsoft Co. has a 52 week low of $213.43 and a 52 week high of $315.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $241.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market cap of $1.76 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.94.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 25th. The software giant reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.06. Microsoft had a net margin of 34.37% and a return on equity of 42.10%. The company had revenue of $50.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.27 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 15th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 15th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 29.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Macquarie began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, November 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group set a $250.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $305.00 to $275.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 26th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 26th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $300.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and thirty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $289.15.

About Microsoft

(Get Rating)
Microsoft Corporation develops, licenses, and supports software, services, devices, and solutions worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft Viva, and Skype for Business; Skype, Outlook.com, OneDrive, and LinkedIn; and Dynamics 365, a set of cloud-based and on-premises business solutions for organizations and enterprise divisions.

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by DP Taylor | Updated Aug. 5, 2022 – First published on May 18, 2022
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Those stacks of paper scattered throughout your office may not seem like they’re costing your business money, but you’d be surprised.
One study found that, on average, 7.5% of paper documents get lost completely, and 3% are misfiled. And it costs about $2,000 annually in terms of work hours just to maintain a single, four-drawer filing cabinet.
The way we deal with documents these days is totally different from how it was 20 years ago. Our electronic signatures and electronic record-keeping systems bear no resemblance to the rows of folders packed away in filing cabinets. There’s no reason to be stuck in the old ways of doing things.
If you don’t have an electronic document and record management system (EDRMS), you’re probably losing a lot of money without realizing it.
This stems from valuable documents being lost into the ether, or your employees spending a significant amount of time dealing with documents when they could be doing other things. This guide will help you understand how to use EDRMS to streamline your business.
An EDRMS is a process which organizations use to organize all important information in one central location.
Organizations often use an EDRMS (also referred to as an electronic document management system or EDMS) not only to make it easy to locate documents and records, but also for document control and advanced record management.
The system creates an audit trail showing who has accessed certain information, how and when it has been altered, and any other pertinent information.
EDRMS software solutions integrate all current business document management into one seamless, centralized electronic records system, sometimes hosted in the cloud for convenience and easy access.
An EDRMS is more than just an electronic filing system — it is a fundamental part of running your organization.
This is the most basic purpose of electronic data systems. At any organization, paperwork tends to pile up over time, making it difficult to find that permit you got a year ago or an employee record.
An EDRMS either receives user input or automatically files paperwork electronically, placing all of that documentation in one convenient place so it isn’t taking up space on your shelves or in miscellaneous folders spread out across various computers within your organization.
A key part of good records management is making sure all of that paperwork is in order and can be found easily and quickly. An EDRMS sorts and categorizes paperwork so it can be found with just a few keystrokes. This feature alone will save an organization hundreds or even thousands of work hours.
Some documents are highly sensitive, and having vital organizational information sitting on a shelf or in an unsecured computer folder is a recipe for disaster. An EDRMS keeps everything in one centralized place and prevents unauthorized users from accessing it.
Most EDRMS software allows the administrator to set different permissions for different files, so one person who needs access to one file doesn’t get the keys to the kingdom.
An EDRMS often has communication features, such as alerting a department that a specific relevant document has been uploaded to the system, or automatically sharing a file with individuals tagged on it. Some systems may allow users to directly message each other through the system, or even to mark up business documents.

eFileCabinet
has a communication feature within the document management system for sending and receiving files. Source: eFileCabinet.
Document management may not seem like the most important part of your business, but these four benefits explain why it can have such a huge impact on how your organization runs.
In the digital age, keeping information safe is difficult. You face numerous threats from people around the world who want to steal sensitive information. An EDRMS makes sure that data are safe and secure with features that require permissions to access certain information.
And by tracking changes to documents, an EDRMS can alert managers to any unauthorized changes so that they can revert the document to its previous forms.
An EDRMS also ensures that companies are in compliance with laws and regulations requiring information security, such as HIPAA with medical records and GDPR for protecting data of citizens of the European Union.

Box allows you to see what kind of changes are being made to which documents. Image source: Author
Businesses must be organized — it’s hard to operate if you’re not. When all of your documentation is organized, you add a veneer of professionalism to your organization.
This helps everyone’s mindset since it’s easier to work when you feel like everything is at your fingertips. As the old saying goes, a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. By streamlining your documentation, you take a big step toward streamlining your business as a whole.

M-Files provides a top-down overview of your files so you can quickly navigate to the right document. Image source: Author
Your employees will be able to access documents much easier thanks to an EDRMS. They won’t have to dig through stacks of papers in a cardboard box tucked away in a closet, or even search multiple computers for a file hidden somewhere in a random folder.
Instead, they’ll have one centralized system they can use to locate a file with just a few keystrokes. This makes it easy for them to do their jobs and allows them to focus on more important tasks.
When all of your paperwork is organized and accessible, your business is more efficient and therefore more productive. Your employees will spend less time manually entering data and searching for necessary documentation.
Also, you’ll spend less money on document management expenses because everything is digital, and many of the processes are automated.
It's impossible to say how much a system will cost because it depends on the nature of your business, how much documentation you need organized, and what extra features you need. Generally, the amount you spend on an EDRMS will be driven by:
An EDRMS may cost thousands of dollars or more each month if you need an extensive file management system. However, if you're a small business, you can manage your documents for much less than that.
For example, DocSend offers a plan for business teams for $45/month per user. And Box (For Business) offers a long-term free version with a 10 GB storage cap that could be enough if you're running a one-person shop. You can bump that up to 100 GB for just $5 per month.
If you are a medium or large organization, you need an EDRMS. An organization of any reasonable size will have oceans of documentation, and many of these records will be sensitive or have legal ramifications, so you must have a secure system for managing them.
Even smaller organizations should have an EDRMS. You can find an inexpensive system, and it will give you peace of mind to know all of your documentation is in one secure place.
The only time an EDRMS might not be necessary is if you are a one- or two-person shop with almost no documents. But that's a rare situation, and even then you can opt for a free EDRMS option to cover your bases.
Chances are you have some documentation that could stand protection, if only because it has personally identifiable information on it that hackers could steal.
Determining what kind of EDRMS will fit your business is trickier, and it requires consultation with your staff on what documentation you have and how it should be organized. Specifically, you should know:
With this information in hand, you can examine EDRMS options. The Ascent has reviewed some of the top document management systems, so read a few reviews and get an idea of some options that look interesting. Then give a couple of them a try and settle on one to implement in your organization.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re tired of the chaos and clutter of your organization’s documentation “system,” if it can be called that. This is a sign that it’s time to stop putting it off.
Set aside some time in the coming weeks to start dealing with this issue, implementing document management best practices, and identifying software that can organize the mess. You’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

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DP Taylor is a business software expert writing for The Ascent and The Motley Fool.
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