Enhancing the Efficiency of a Radiation Oncology Department Using Electronic Medical Records: Protocol for Preparing...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Electronic medical records (EMRs) offer benefits like streamlined processes and improved data sharing.
• EMRs reduce costs and storage needs associated with paper records.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if integrating radiation oncology information systems with hospital information systems improves departmental efficiency.
• Investigate the impact of EMR implementation on radiation oncology workflows.

Main Methods:

• Multidisciplinary teams collaborated on system integration.
• Paper records were digitized and integrated into the hospital information system with a new electronic interface.
• A comparative analysis was conducted on information retrieval times between paper-based and EMR systems for radiation preparation, using 30 randomly allocated cases.

Main Results:

• The radiation preparation process time decreased from 286.8 to 154.3 minutes (46.2% reduction).
• Over 1000 records have been entered since August 2020, with continuous data entry.
• Monthly workload for organizing paper records was reduced by 16 hours.

Conclusions:

• Integrated EMR systems significantly reduce radiotherapy preparation steps and time.
• EMR implementation simplifies workflows, decreases workload, and improves patient data management.
• The new system offers substantial benefits for radiation oncology departments.