A script-enabled interactive checklist document for efficient management of electronic devices in a busy...

Area of Science:

• Radiotherapy and Medical Physics
• Health Informatics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Management of implanted electronic medical devices (IEMDs) in multimodality radiotherapy requires clear, accessible guidelines.
• Existing protocols can be complex, fragmented across different device types and treatment modalities.
• Ensuring patient safety and treatment efficacy necessitates efficient IEMD management protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient, interactive, and instructive checklist document for managing IEMDs in a multimodality radiotherapy clinic.
• To create a user-friendly tool that simplifies complex decision-making processes for healthcare professionals.
• To integrate IEMD management seamlessly into the existing clinical workflow.

Main Methods:

• Utilized built-in scripting and interactivity features of a commercial word processor to create a dynamic document.
• Ensured compatibility with the radiation oncology information system (ROIS) for broad accessibility and permanent record-keeping.
• Incorporated departmental decision trees based on device type, treatment modality, cardiac device dependence, and proximity to the treatment volume.

Main Results:

• A clinically deployed interactive checklist was developed and beta-tested by nurses and medical physicists.
• The document dynamically presents information and action plans tailored to specific patient and treatment scenarios.
• The checklist consolidates multiple guidelines into a single, accessible interactive tool within the ROIS.

Conclusions:

• A script-enabled interactive document effectively manages IEMDs in a busy multimodality clinic.
• The developed checklist condenses comprehensive guidelines for various devices and modalities into one interactive tool.
• This adaptable approach, leveraging common software, can be adopted by other clinics to optimize IEMD management workflows.