Consensus Recommendations for Developing IQ Script Enabled Radiation Oncology Care Plans in the MOSAIQ Oncology Information System

BACKGROUND

IQ script enabled radiation oncology (RO) Care Plans are a unique functionality of the MOSAIQ oncology information system and enables standardization of clinical workflow via predefined order sets, strategic launching of assessment forms, and automated forwarding of clinical tasks. However, the development of RO Care Plans is center-specific and must be adapted to each center's clinical workflow. To our knowledge, little to no guidelines exist for RO Care Plan implementation. This article is a collaborative article from 5 different centers of varying sizes and adoption stage that provides consensus strategies for RO Care Plan development.

METHODS

In 2016, 5 different centers of varying sizes and adoption stages met to develop strategies for RO Care Plan development. Before the meeting, an initial draft was circulated to all participating centers for feedback and incorporated into a refined document. The refined recommendations underwent a formal, 3-stage consensus process mediated by a radiation therapist to arrive at the final document.

RESULTS

Overall, 17 recommendations were provided that focused on 7 areas of Care Plan development: (1) predevelopment planning, (2) current-state RO workflow evaluation, (3) future-state RO integration planning, (4) Care Plan authoring, (5) pre-implementation, (6) implementation, and (7) post-implementation evaluation and review.

CONCLUSIONS

Care Plan development is a center-specific process, and the resulting recommendations provide a blueprint for a broad range of cancer centers for implementing Care Plans, or similar oncology information system modules, into their clinical processes.

Difficulties and practices regarding information provision among Korean and Italian nurses

AIM

To investigate nurses' opinions and practices of providing information in a global context through cultural comparison.

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

Providing sufficient information to patients about nursing interventions and plans is essential for patient-centred care. While many countries have specific legislation making information delivery to patients a legal duty of nurses, no such legislation exists in both the Republic of Korea and Italy; nurses' only guidance is the deontological code.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey study involving a convenience sample of 174 Korean nurses and 121 Italian nurses working in internal medicine and surgery at university hospitals. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire between February and November 2014. The questionnaire assessed demographic and professional characteristics, and difficulties and practices regarding information provision.

RESULTS

Korean and Italian nurses significantly differed in all demographic and professional characteristics. More Korean than Italian participants reported that their role in providing information was well explained within their teams, but both groups reported the same level and type of difficulties in delivering information. Nurses in both countries regularly informed patients about medications and nursing procedures, but provided information about nursing care plans less frequently. Few nurses frequently provided information to relatives instead of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite cultural, demographic and professional differences between Korean and Italian nurses, their difficulties and practices in information delivery to patient were similar.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

Hospital managers and policymakers should be aware that nurse-patient communication can be impaired by organizational factors, patient characteristics or the interaction among providers. Educational interventions and strategies are needed to increase information provision to patients about nursing care plans.