Implementation of the electronic medical record system in the radiation oncology department of a government health-care facility: A single-center experience

Background: The availability of electronic medical records (EMRs) in the health-care system has greatly helped to improve the quality of care provided to the patients. Installing an EMR system requires consideration of various factors such as the institutional structure, human resources, clinical workflow in the hospital, monetary issues, and coordination between the departments. Objectives: In this article, we have outlined the steps undertaken to integrate the EMR system into regular clinical practice in the department of radiation oncology. Materials and Methods: The EMR system was implemented in the department of radiation oncology of the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, a government health-care facility. The process of integration began in June 2019 and was completed in September 2019. We chose the MOSAIQ EMR software by Elekta systems for our center. The process involved creating a core team, establishing the workflow, customizing the software according to our hospital's clinical practices, installing computers, data storage and backup, entering the old patients' data and reports into the system, and training the staff. Results: The EMR system was made available for daily clinical practice from September 25, 2019. Since then, we observed a drastic reduction in the waiting time for the patient files to be made available at the outpatient department, as information could be accessed through EMR instantaneously. Furthermore, the patients' clinical data were available without any delay in the treatment planning system rooms, when planning radiation therapy (RT). Finally, in the radiation treatment rooms, EMRs allowed the RT technologists to obtain information regarding the number of fractions planned for a patient without any confusion as opposed to the earlier handwritten RT charts. Conclusion: The immediate advantage of the EMR system is the instantaneous availability of patient data in the hospital. However, the successful implementation and optimal use of this system require commitment from the health-care staff.