Continuity of care. Development and implementation of a shared patient data base

Area of Science:

• Oncology Nursing
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Lack of information sharing between inpatient Oncology Unit, Medical Oncology Clinic, and Radiation Oncology.
• Limited inter-area nursing communication impacting patient care continuity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a system for seamless nursing information flow between distinct oncology care settings.
• To enhance data accessibility and communication for shared oncology patients.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a multidisciplinary committee including nurses from each oncology area.
• Development of an Inpatient/Outpatient Data Flow Sheet for information transfer.
• Transition from a paper-based system to an approved computerized program for data storage and access.

Main Results:

• The Inpatient/Outpatient Data Flow Sheet proved effective in facilitating information exchange.
• The computerized program provided the first nursing data storage capability within the oncology department.
• Oncology nurses gained access to obtain and update information on shared patients across different settings.

Conclusions:

• The implemented computer program significantly improved nursing data management and communication in oncology.
• Enhanced data sharing positively impacted both nursing practice and patient care within the oncology department.