DOHA: The National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) has become the first hospital outside the US to implement an electronic system for chemotherapy patients.
PowerChart Oncology was led by the chemotherapy team at NCCCR and involves collection and integration of all clinical information that supports different aspects of oncology care for patients receiving chemotherapy.
With the system, healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists, have access to patient-specific data, flow sheets and an interactive cancer-staging component.
“This is an ambitious programme that was successfully implemented at NCCCR earlier this year. It is an efficient system that has allowed healthcare providers across the spectrum of cancer care to easily access data pertinent to patients’ treatment journey. The program focuses on chemotherapy prescription for patients and plays a key role in supporting clinicians treating tumours,” said Dr Salha Bujassoum Al Bader, Senior Consultant, Medical Oncologist, NCCCR, and Chair, Breast Cancer Tumour Board, who oversees implementation of the system.
The quality improvement initiative has received ongoing approval and was honoured with the Collaborative Achievement award at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) annual Stars of Excellence Award Ceremony 2015.
“The PowerChart process was custom-made in accordance with international standards and HMC’s clinical policies. It goes through stages that start with recording personal and medical data of patients at the registration office and ends with recording medical appointments, required check-ups, medical history, case progress, X-rays, laboratory results, details of chemotherapy, and the type and dosage of prescribed medications,” Dr Al Bader said. He said the system is of high importance to the process of administering chemotherapy to oncology patients.
In addition to minimising data recording time, the system facilitates communication among healthcare professionals caring for patients, eliminates possible errors that may result from manual data entry, and assists in the processing of statistics for epidemiologic studies, serving patients’ interests and enhancing healthcare outcomes.
The system has enabled clinicians to conduct comprehensive reviews of treatment plans for each patient in accordance with the national oncology care protocol.
“The system is designed to meet patient needs and the requirements of the oncology care scheme at NCCCR. The rapid development of chemotherapy practices around the world requires regular upgrading of treatment systems to keep up with highest international standards,” Dr Al Bader said.
The Peninsula
