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Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, Vol. 4, No. 4, October-December, 2008, pp. 178-185 Review Article Development of an electronic radiation oncology patient information management system Mandal Abhijit, Asthana Anupam Kumar, Aggarwal Lalit Mohan Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, UP Code Number: cr08052 Abstract The quality of patient care is critically influenced by the availability of accurate information and its efficient management. Radiation oncology consists of many information components, for example there may be information related to the patient (e.g., profile, disease site, stage, etc.), to people (radiation oncologists, radiological physicists, technologists, etc.), and to equipment (diagnostic, planning, treatment, etc.). These different data must be integrated. A comprehensive information management system is essential for efficient storage and retrieval of the enormous amounts of information. A radiation therapy patient information system (RTPIS) has been developed using open source software. PHP and JAVA script was used as the programming languages, MySQL as the database, and HTML and CSF as the design tool. This system utilizes typical web browsing technology using a WAMP5 server. Any user having a unique user ID and password can access this RTPIS. The user ID and password is issued separately to each individual according to the person's job responsibilities and accountability, so that users will be able to only access data that is related to their job responsibilities. With this system authentic users will be able to use a simple web browsing procedure to gain instant access. All types of users in the radiation oncology department should find it user-friendly. The maintenance of the system will not require large human resources or space. The file storage and retrieval process would be be satisfactory, unique, uniform, and easily accessible with adequate data protection. There will be very little possibility of unauthorized handling with this system. There will also be minimal risk of loss or accidental destruction of information. Keywords: Radiation oncology, patient information system, information management Introduction The availability of accurate information and its efficient management is crucial for quality patient care. Organizing and communicating the vast amounts of information generated in radiation oncology is a great challenge. During the last two decades, radiation oncology has witnessed great technological advancements. Nowadays, we deal with huge amounts of diagnostic information, complex treatment planning, accurate dose calculations, and very complicated treatment delivery information. For precise treatment in radiation oncology, a comprehensive information management scheme has become essential for the storage and rapid retrieval of the enormous amounts of information. The need for management of medical information to provide better patient care, effective medical education, and research has given rise to a new subject known as medical informatics. Medical informatics deals with the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and optimal use of medical information for problem solving and decision making. Information data sets and interfaces between different disciplines are combined by medical informatics. It also involves understanding the evolving technology and relationships and standards by which this information can be managed. Radiation therapy treatment incorporates many facets of modern medical informatics. Medical professionals work closely together, using computer-controlled equipment, and use large amounts of patient and machine data for optimization of the complex techniques in treatment planning, delivery, and verification. The information system (IS) provides the main base for communication, documentation, and quality control by integrating all necessary data/images in a seamless, reliable, and efficient manner. The IS also provides the capability for numerical and statistical analysis of this wealth of data. Modern electronic IS are built on networks of computers connected in complex arrays, running sophisticated software, to ensure transparent and seamless information availability to the users. Investment of human and capital resources in IS and networks is an essential and continuing process for improving patient care in radiation oncology. Information Components in Radiation Oncology Radiation oncology consists of following information components: Patient information
In networking, hardware and software provide a medium through which systems and individuals can communicate. A complete IS for radiation oncology manages information through data acquisition, presentation, communication, storage, and retrieval. The IS must guarantee that all the resources will be available as and when necessary for the delivery of effective, efficient, and compassionate patient care. The IS comprises various information objects. Information objects There are a large number of information objects involved in radiation oncology. These objects can be grouped into different categories according to the major task or event they are related to. Availability of these information entities may be required at various stages of the radiation therapy process. Each of these objects could be further subdivided into basic information pieces of patient events. [Figure - 1] highlights the specific information objects used in radiation oncology. Diagnostic data may include volumetric and spatial data sets from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), radiography, mammography, etc.; it also includes report data in text form and laboratory results. This massive amount of information is required to localize target volume and organs at risk (OAR) to develop a treatment strategy that will deliver the prescribed therapeutic dose to the target, while restricting the dose to the OAR to the minimum. Patient information includes patient profile, history, disease status, and the management plan derived from interaction of the patient with the consulting radiation oncologists and referring physicians; this is necessary for the selection of the appropriate patient-specific treatment approach. Therefore, the patient data may have many sources, including those outside the department of radiation oncology. A qualification test to determine which therapy technique best meets the patient′s need is also part of the record. Using all this diverse information, the treatment regimen is then defined. The simulation step may include combining diagnostic and patient data with specific geometry goals and the constraints of the therapy delivery system. Adequate information is gathered for the treatment planning as per the ICRU-50 recommendations.[1] Treatment planning brings the simulation and imaging information objects together with treatment machine/device characteristics. This allows the therapy team to develop a computer-based treatment plan with optimized distribution. Whether it involves forward or inverse planning and fixed or dynamic technique, the planning system must aim to realize the treatment goal and must specify all treatment and reference information related to the accurate and safe delivery of the desired radiation dose. Whether the treatment delivery method is traditional physical compensation, custom micro-collimation, tomotherapy, dynamic collimator, or dynamic multi-leaf collimation, detailed information must be provided accurately and efficiently to the treatment machine/device. The new treatment techniques like intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), etc., are completely dependent on computers for planning, treatment, and verification. However, even simple conventional radiation therapy based on wedges or tissue compensators requires detailed information for compensator design and orientation. In every case, the treatment plan must be verified for its accuracy and safety. This includes verification of the treatment devices (record and verify), the radiation field geometry (portal imaging),and dosimetry. The computer-controlled treatment delivery must be fail-safe. Finally, dose record, details of treatment, and billing information must be captured in an organized manner. All personnel related to the treatment delivery are components of the information needed to complete a successful treatment. In radiation oncology, the active involvement of all the staff is required and must be incorporated in the IS. Quality control and quality assurance remain critical components of each step of the process. As therapy becomes more complex and intensive, data integrity, clear communication, and accurate devices become more important. The scheduling component must be able to reconcile complex schedule data from multiple sources, so that all information and personnel are available when needed to deliver the best possible patient care. Thus, the availability of coordinating staff, treatment machine, and all patient-specific data must be integrated. Information integration The pieces of key information objects, as described in [Figure - 1], exist in most radiation oncology facilities, but they are rarely integrated. The goal of the IS is to integrate all of these objects in an effective manner as indicated in [Figure - 2]. This figure shows the integration of each component to form a perfect and regular information geometry. Any missing key information object or a misfit key can distort this perfect information geometry and shape. The organization of these information objects, their definitions, the communication formats, and connecting pathways forms the IS. The simplest version of the IS is the manually movable paper patient file. This IS contains each of the information objects mentioned above, usually separated into sections. Pen, paper, and sneakers represent the communication web and all data relevant to the patient treatment is available in the patient chart. Manually movable patient file systems have the following limitations:
Designing and Development of a RTPIS A radiation oncology patient information system (IS) has been developed using open source software. PHP and JAVA script have been used as the programming language, MySQLas database, and HTML and CSF as the design tool. This system runs through typical web browsing technology using a WAMP5 server.Description of the RTPIS Software Opening the system Log in User library Administration overview Patient profile Patient history View patient profile and patient history Investigation View investigations Simulation Dose prescription Physics calculation Daily treatment record sheet Brachytherapy Radiation biology Follow-up Print summary Conclusion We have developed a simple and indigenous radiation therapy patient information system (RTPIS). This system is instantly accessible by any authentic user through a simple web browsing procedure. All types of users in the radiation oncology department will find this system to be very user-friendly. The maintenance of the system does not require large amounts of human resources or space. The file storage and retrieval process is very satisfactory, unique and uniform. By sharing this software through a wireless local area network (LAN), it may be possible to create a clean, smart, and paperless department. There would be very little possibility of accessing the data in this system by unauthorized person. The information can be stored in a double server, which will minimize the risks of loss or accidental destruction of information. This system can be uploaded on to the internet through a LAN, which will make it possible for an authorized user to operate this system from anywhere in the world.Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Mr. Amitava Mandal (Software Engineer, Matrix Media Solution Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata) for his help in designing and developing the RTPIS software.References
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