Time difference in retrieving clinical information in Patient-overview Prostate Cancer compared to electronic health records

Abstract

Background Patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa) typically undergo numerous lines of treatment leading to large amounts of information in Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The Patient-overview Prostate Cancer (PPC) presents clinical information in a graphical overview. The aim of this study was to measure time spent on retrieving clinical information in PPC compared to EHRs, to assess if retrieved data was correct and to explore usability of PPC. Material and methods Oncologists, urologists and nurses in three hospitals in Sweden were timed when filling out questionnaires about patients using PPC and two different EHRs; Melior and COSMIC. Time and number of errors were analysed using linear mixed models (LMMs). Usability of PPC was measured with the System Usability Scale. Results The LMM showed a significantly shorter time to retrieve information in PPC compared to EHRs. The estimated time to complete one questionnaire was 8 minutes (95% CI = 6–10, p < 0.001) in PPC compared to 25 minutes in Melior and 21 minutes in COSMIC. Compared to PPC, the estimated time difference was 17 minutes longer in Melior (95% CI = 14–20, p < 0.001) and 13 minutes longer in COSMIC (95% CI = 10–17, p < 0.001). The LMM showed significantly fewer errors in PPC compared to Melior. No significant difference in the number of errors was found between PPC and COSMIC. The usability of PPC was rated as excellent by oncologists, urologists and nurses. Conclusion A graphical overview of a patient’s medical history, as in PPC, gives health staff rapid access to relevant information with a high degree of usability.