Hammer RD, Fowler D, Sheets LR, Siadimas A, Guo C, Prime MS. Digital Tumor Board Solutions Have Significant Impact on Case Preparation.
JCO Clin Cancer Inform 2021;
4:757-768. [PMID:
32816529 PMCID:
PMC7469605 DOI:
10.1200/cci.20.00029]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE
Multidisciplinary tumor boards (TBs) are the gold standard for decision-making in cancer care. Variability in preparation, conduction, and impact is widely reported. The benefit of digital technologies to support TBs is unknown. This study evaluated the impact of the NAVIFY Tumor Board solution (NTB) on TB preparation time across multiple user groups in 4 cancer categories: breast, GI, head and neck (ie, ear, nose, and throat, or ENT), and hematopathology.
METHODS
This prospective study evaluated TB preparation time in multiple phases pre- and post-NTB implementation at an academic health care center. TB preparation times were recorded for multiple weeks using a digital time tracker.
RESULTS
Preparation times for 59 breast, 61 GI, 36 ENT, and 71 hematopathology cancer TBs comparing a pre-NTB phase to 3 phases of NTB implementation were evaluated between February 2018 and July 2019. NTB resulted in significant reductions in overall preparation time (30%) across 3 TBs pre-NTB compared with the final post-NTB implementation phase. In the breast TB, NTB reduced overall preparation time by 28%, with a 76% decrease in standard deviation (SD). In the GI TB, a 23% reduction in average preparation time was observed for all users, with a 48% decrease in SD. In the ENT TB, a 33% reduction in average preparation time was observed for all users, with a 73% decrease in SD. The hematopathology TB, which was the cocreation partner and initial adopter of the solution, showed variable results.
CONCLUSION
This study showed a significant impact of a digital solution on time preparation for TBs across multiple users and different TBs, reflecting the generalizability of the NTB. Adoption of such a solution could improve the efficiency of TBs and have a direct economic impact on hospitals.
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