1374P - Advancing Clinical Oncology Practice in Developing Countries: Integrating Research Informatics for Continuous Process Improvement

Abstract

ABSTRACT In developing countries, Clinical Research is considered a luxurious interest with lower priority.Ongoing studies show considerable gap in responses between developed countries where most research is conducted and developing countries where most of needy population is located. We demonstrate a case where practice was improved in a multi-disciplinary cancer center through setting the institution vision and objectives to be patient centered, research focused and outcome oriented. Since the development of the Protocol Monitoring unit and the Research Department, a monitoring process has been established which identified violations and deviations from the developed clinical protocols with a continuous feedback to the attending treatment and research teams i.e treating each treatment regimen as a research protocol. This process proved effective and necessitated developing tools for providing more comprehensive treatment roadmaps and tracking patients' treatment milestones. Another advantage of applying the system is the improvement of medical team conduct knowing that their performance is being reviewed in what's known as Hawthorne Effect. With the establishment of first research informatics unit in the region Monitoring process became live web-based activity where performance and survival can be monitored instantaneously. The customized treatment protocols were developed through identifying key evidence-based practices, integrating it with research questions and local clinical expertise. Cooperation with international centers like St. Jude Children's Research hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute as well as Children's Hospital-Boston has supported our transition into an international center through benchmarking and training. Conclusion Within five years we've developed a model example for developing countries to improve clinical practice through integrating research methods and informatics. Dealing with all treatment regimens as research protocol with the integration of audit and feedback approach in the treatment process definitely improves treatment outcome most specifically at poorly established settings. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.