A script-enabled interactive checklist document for efficient management of electronic devices in a busy multimodality radiotherapy clinic.

PURPOSE: Develop an efficient, interactive, and instructive checklist document for the management of implanted electronic medical devices in a multimodality radiotherapy clinic.

METHODS

The built-in scripting and interactivity of a popular commercial word processor was used to develop an interactive document that changes the information presented to the user based on drop-down selections. The interactivity and scripting were compatible with the radiation oncology information system (ROIS) which allows the document to be accessible by all team members and serve as a permanent record in a patient's electronic chart.

RESULTS

The final interactive document, which was clinically deployed after beta testing with a group consisting of nurses and medical physicists, presents information and action plans to the user based on multiple departmental medical device decision trees that are specific to the combination of device, treatment modality, rhythm-pacing dependence for cardiac devices, and distance from the device to the treatment volume.

CONCLUSION

A script-enabled interactive document was developed for a busy multimodality clinic, condensing multiple comprehensive departmental guidelines spanning multiple device types and treatment modalities into a single interactive checklist accessible within the ROIS. Given the wide accessibility of the commercial word processor, this approach could be adopted by other clinics to streamline their own respective workflows.