Integration of Radiation Oncology Informatics into Electronic Health Records (EHR)
The use of informatics in healthcare is as pervasive as it is in all aspects of our modern lives. The issue that confronts us is the integration of disparate systems into a functioning, transformative organ that can enrich and imbue efficiency into a sometimes unwieldy international system of healthcare. At the heart of the system is the patient health record. It is clear that the accuracy, security and portability of an individual’s health record can be crucial to ensuring that each of us receives optimal care.
I am involved in an international initiative to create, manage, and access comprehensive patient medical records. Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) is an initiative by healthcare professionals and industry to improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information. IHE accelerates the adoption of EHR by improving the exchange of information among healthcare systems. Its goal is to improve the quality, efficiency and safety of clinical care by making relevant health information conveniently accessible to patients and authorized care providers.
IHE Radiation Oncology is focused on the development and integration of EHR for radiation oncology. Radiation oncology has specific needs because of its use of imaging and radiation dose delivery using a multiplicity of devices and systems. I am currently a member of the IHE-RO planning committee which is supported by the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). In my capacity as a member of the IHE-RO planning committee I take challenges involving system integration encountered in the clinical environment and transform them into a technical framework called a use case. As a liaison from the American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM) Work Group on Clinical Trials I am in a unique position to gather and promote use cases that can have an impact on national clinical trials.
Organizations involved in radiation oncology can join the IHE-RO planning committee. Please use the links below to (1) learn more about this important initiative, (2) to provide us with information that can be developed into a use case or join the planning committee.
IHE-RO Astro 2008 Presentation
http://wiki.ihe.net/index.php?title=Radiation_Oncology
