On the Necessity of Systematically Planning Clinical Tumor Documentation

Abstract

Tumor documentation is an important task for both clinical research and patient care. Documentation systems for these purposes have to be planned systematically and should be goal oriented. We applied the method of a so-called ‘standardized documentation protocol’ for systematically planning two documentation systems in oncology: one for the tumor center Heidelberg/Mannheim and the other for a nationwide project in the field of documentation and therapy planning in pediatric oncology. The method proved to be helpful in both cases even though the resulting documentation protocols are completely different and although they served different objectives. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to motivate and help medical informatics professionals to systematically plan other documentation systems using this method.

Facilitating Automated Data Analytics Through Structured Head and Neck Oncology Tumor Board Documentation

“…TBs have been shown to improve patient outcomes and enhance high-quality patient care, resulting in altered treatment plans in up to 50% of reviewed cases and improved survival for solid organ tumors. 1 - 5 Weekly TB preparation compiles clinically relevant data from a variety of sources and has been shown to be both time- and labor-intensive. 6 When TB data are subsequently used for institutional quality improvement efforts or clinical research such as traditional retrospective analysis, repeated manual chart review is typically required, resulting in additional, time-consuming effort prone to human error.…”

Transition to a Virtual Multidisciplinary Tumor Board during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The University of Pittsburgh Experience

“…This information should be accessible to all MDC participants in case specific members are unable to attend a session. The documentation system should be design in a systematic manner and be goal-oriented 27 . If data recording is standard-ized, the MDC case database will serve as a central resource for reviewing patient diagnostic pathways, treatment plans, outcomes, and guideline adherence.…”