Implementing and evaluating a real-time computerized notification and recording system of malignant pathology report
Ya-Fen Liang MSN, CTR, RN; Changhua Christian Hospital; Pei-Yi Chu MD; Changhua Christian Hospital;
Content:
Pathological confirmation of malignancy remains the gold standard in daily clinical practice and is required before any definite cancer treatment. Completing pathology report may take several days or weeks after initial tissue removed from patients. The clinical doctor is legally responsible for notification of pathological diagnosis. Notification of abnormal or malignant pathology results in hospitals is very important in cancer patient management. Using information technology to implement a real-time computerized notification and recording system of pathology reports with final diagnosis of malignancy can assure patient safety.
Technology:
Computerized notification system of cancer patients that alerted clinicians when startup inpatient or outpatient order entry system is constructed.
Design:
The flow path of notification of malignant pathological results is discussed and integrated by department of medical informatics and other departments involving the diagnosis and management of cancer patients: (1)E-mail the results of malignant diagnosis to inform the managed physician immediately after the pathologists finishing pathology reports. (2) The patients with malignant pathological diagnosis are alerted and informed by the real-time computerized notification and recoding system when they visit any outpatient or inpatient departments in our hospital. (3) After the cancer patients are informed, the physicians must print and sign a document. (4) Case managers in department of tumor center will contact the patients if their results are not informed for more than one week after pathologists finishing the pathology report.
Results:
Loss of notification of malignancy is never identified after implementing this system since implementing the real-time computerized notification and recording system of malignant pathology report one year ago. Its timely and complete notification to the clinicians in modern busy hospitals proves to be superior to before.
Conclusion:
Notification of malignancy is a statutory requirement in clinical practice. Under-notification leads to delaying cancer treatment and moreover, medico-legal problems. The notification system we designed proved to significantly lower the under-notification rate.
