Impact of an electronic chart on the staff workload in a radiation oncology department.
BACKGROUND
In order to improve the efficiency of patient care, we developed an electronic medical record system, named the Comprehensive Radiation Oncology Management System (C-ROMS). C-ROMS was used together with a commercial record-and-verify system, LANTIS (Siemens Medical Systems Inc., Concord, CA, USA). The impact of the C-ROMS/LANTIS system on the staff workload in the Radiation Oncology Department was quantified and evaluated.


METHODS
Thirty-four breast cancer patients were divided into two groups based on the method of the charting and the delivery of radiation treatment. The paper chart and manual treatment were used for one group, and the C-ROMS/LANTIS for the other. For each group of patients, the workload per patient for each staff group in the department-nursing/clerical staff, simulation staff, dosimetry/physics staff and technologist staff-was measured and compared.


RESULTS
The average total staff workload with the C-ROMS/LANTIS system was 28.2% less than that with the paper chart/manual treatment method. The workloads for nursing/clerical staff, simulation staff and technologist staff were reduced by 85.7, 61.2 and 20.6%, respectively. The workload for dosimetry/physics staff was increased by 28.4%.


CONCLUSIONS
The C-ROMS/LANTIS system significantly decreased the averaged total staff workload, and thus increased the efficiency of patient care.
Han
Youngyih
Y
Department of Radiation Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, #50 Ilwon-dong, Kangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea.
Huh
Seung Jae
SJ
Ju
Sang Gyu
SG
Ahn
Yong Chan
YC
Lim
Do Hoon
DH
Lee
Jung Eun
JE
Park
Won
W
D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D004526:Efficiency; D004581:Electronics; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000379:methods; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000592:standards*; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D016526:Workload