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The automated patient discharge summary: improving communication at transfers of care after completion of radiotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2017

Natalie Rozanec ,
Edwin Chan ,
Shaziya Malam  and
James Loudon
Natalie Rozanec*
Affiliation:
Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, ON, Canada Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Edwin Chan
Affiliation:
Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, ON, Canada
Shaziya Malam
Affiliation:
Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, ON, Canada Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, Canada
James Loudon
Affiliation:
Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, ON, Canada
*
Correspondence to: Natalie Rozanec, MRT(T), Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist (Palliative), Radiation Therapy Department, Southlake Regional Health Centre, 596 Davis Drive, Newmarket, ON Canada L3Y 2P9. Tel: (905) 895 4521. Fax: (905) 952 3058. E-mail: nrozanec@southlakeregional.org
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Abstract

Aim

To develop an auto-generated patient discharge summary for all patients being treated in the Radiation Therapy Department.

Materials and methods

A patient discharge summary was developed using auto-generated data for all patients being treated in the Radiation Therapy Department. This ensures information relevant to the care of the patient is communicated effectively during transitions of care following radiation treatment, and provides a record of the treatment site(s), dose delivered, start/completion dates and contact information for Radiation Oncologists. The eScribe feature in MosaiQTM is utilised to auto-generate the patient discharge summary in less than one minute, and then printed and given to patients on the last day of treatment. This was piloted with palliative radiotherapy patients (n=22), who also completed a telephone survey.

Results

Results revealed patients had passed this document onto other healthcare providers and appreciated having a record of their treatments. Feedback was obtained from radiation therapy staff and the Patient and Family Advisory Committee. Subsequently, the language of the patient discharge summary was simplified and a disclaimer was added, indicating the document is not a complete radiation therapy treatment record. This initiative was then rolled out to all radiotherapy patients.

Findings

Overall, the patient discharge summary allows for a quick, automated and standardised approach for transfer of information during care transitions without significant impact to the Radiation Therapy Departmental workflow.

Keywords

communicationpatient discharge summaryradiotherapy
Type
Original Articles
Information
Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , September 2017 , pp. 265 - 271
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Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 

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