Improving the Workflow of Radiation Oncologists

Abstract

Every year in the Netherlands, approximately 100,000 patients are diagnosed with cancer (https://www.nki.nl/.) . With these numbers on the rise, and a shortage of staffing, there is an increased workload on the existing professionals to work fast, despite the complexity and meticulous nature of radiotherapy planning. There are multiple obstacles that may cause a buildup and inability for a smooth flow of a patient through the system, sometimes causing oncologists to lose track of the patients' situation in the care pathway. This further builds onto the pyschological stress owing to their sense of responsibility towards the patient in the process, and to their need to preserve their control over the patient's treatment process.

With increasing demand to work with complex systems and technology, there is also an increasing reliance on the smooth operations and uniform working methods of other professionals and colleagues for the radio oncologist's smooth workflow. But there are currently some unaddressed operational and working issues faced by the Erasmus radiotherapy department that attribute to inefficiencies, delays, and loss of patient status in the pre-treatment process. Hence there is a strong motivation to explore this space through the project, where there is currently a lack of solutions towards optimising and supporting the professionals in this stage of the process.

The design hence focuses on supporting oncologists in the treatment planning phase by providing real-time patient status, assistance, and prioritization of tasks and administrative work in order to minimize disruptions and gain control over their workflow, such that oncologists can uphold their sense of accountability towards their patients, themselves, and the organizational expectations and alleviate their fear of losing the patient to the system.

The end result is an omnichannel solution that works on two levels- through an iPad-based solution for the radiation oncologists to help manage their workflow, as well as a data collection strategy for the managers to capture valuable data throughout the pre-treatment process to identify delays and inefficiencies.

The project employs both UX as well as system-level approaches in order to cater to professional, process-related, and organizational needs to ultimately reduce patient waiting time and alleviate workload.