In a bid to get better cancer datasets, West Middlesex University Hospital has begun implementation of a new clinical information system (CIS) called Cepia, developed by Dataline Healthcare Solutions..
Cepia is a web-enabled CIS that enables healthcare users to create, record and clearly visualise the movement of cancer patients through their clinical pathway.
It has previously been implemented at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where Dataline say, the system has improved its cancer waiting time performance, achieving in February 2006, 98% for a one month target from diagnosis to treatment, and 94% for a two month target from GP referral to treatment.
Dataline’s technical director, John Cuthbert, told E-Health Insider: “Cepia offers staff the chance to ensure that cancer pathways are well documented from diagnosis to drugs administering to care planning and follow-ups. It was important to the trust that they reached the milestone where they were complying with the government’s vision of providing datasets compliant with the national cancer datasets which will later be sent to a national database.
“West Middlesex is similar to Cambridge in that they are university hospitals. Cepia offers the users support in the peer-review process and also with research and analysis of outcomes data which can be used by students and staff for research papers and clinical audits. This need encourages clinicians to enter data and pushes the need for a higher quality of data.”
Implementation began in April 2006 and the system is currently in place in the colorectal and breast cancer units. It is expected to be fully deployed in seven other units by the end of March.
According to Dataline, users at the West Middlesex University Hospital have already experienced the benefits of the new system, with cancer waiting times reduced and data beginning to be collated for the national dataset requirements.
Clinical service managers at the hospital are also confident that the end-to-end patient pathways captured in Cepia will make the system an invaluable tool in peer review and clinical audit processes.
West Middlesex’s consultant surgeon and lead clinician for IT, Jason Smith, said: “We are extremely pleased that by the end of March, nine units within the trust will benefit from the system. This has been a complex project which has required a flexible and adaptable supplier – Dataline has proved to be exactly that.”
Cuthbert added: “This deal certainly encourages us that more trusts will look to Cepia for a care pathway system in line with government requirements for the care records Spine. There is a gap for this area in the national programme and we believe we can address this.”
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