IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i23p15808-d986406.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An IT Platform Supporting Rectal Cancer Tumor Board Activities: Implementation Process and Impact Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Lucia Specchia

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
    These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.)

  • Andrea Di Pilla

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
    These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.)

  • Maria Antonietta Gambacorta

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Alessandro Filippella

    (Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Flavia Beccia

    (Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Sara Farina

    (Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Elisa Meldolesi

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Chiara Lanza

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Rocco Domenico Alfonso Bellantone

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Vincenzo Valentini

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Giampaolo Tortora

    (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (RC) is the third most common cancer, with an increasing incidence in recent years. Digital health solutions supporting multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) could improve positive outcomes for RC patients. This paper describes the implementation process of a digital solution within the RC-MTB and its impact analysis in the context of the Fondazione Policlinico ‘A. Gemelli’ in Italy. Adopting a two-phase methodological approach, the first phase qualitatively describes each phase of the implementation of the IT platform, while the second phase quantitatively describes the analysis of the impact of the IT platform. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed for all variables, with a p -value < 0.05 being considered statistically significant. The implementation of the platform allowed more healthcare professionals to attend meetings and resulted in a decrease in patients sent to the RC-MTB for re-staging and further diagnostic investigations and an increase in patients sent to the RC-MTB for treatment strategies. The results could be attributed to the facilitated access to the platform remotely for specialists, partly compensating for the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the integration of the platform into the hospital’s IT system. Furthermore, the early involvement of healthcare professionals in the process of customizing the platform to the specific needs of the RC-MTB may have facilitated its use and contributed to the encouraging quantitative results.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Lucia Specchia & Andrea Di Pilla & Maria Antonietta Gambacorta & Alessandro Filippella & Flavia Beccia & Sara Farina & Elisa Meldolesi & Chiara Lanza & Rocco Domenico Alfonso Bellantone & Vincen, 2022. "An IT Platform Supporting Rectal Cancer Tumor Board Activities: Implementation Process and Impact Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:15808-:d:986406
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/23/15808/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/23/15808/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Prades, Joan & Remue, Eline & van Hoof, Elke & Borras, Josep M., 2015. "Is it worth reorganising cancer services on the basis of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs)? A systematic review of the objectives and organisation of MDTs and their impact on patient outcomes," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(4), pages 464-474.
    2. Diana Frasquilho & Ricardo Matias & Jaime Grácio & Berta Sousa & Fernando Luís-Ferreira & João Leal & Fátima Cardoso & Albino J. Oliveira-Maia, 2021. "Protocol for the Implementation and Assessment of “MoodUP”: A Stepped Care Model Assisted by a Digital Platform to Accelerate Access to Mental Health Care for Cancer Patients Amid the COVID-19 Pandemi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jianlong Lu & Yan Jiang & Mengcen Qian & Lilang Lv & Xiaohua Ying, 2019. "The Improved Effects of a Multidisciplinary Team on the Survival of Breast Cancer Patients: Experiences from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Andrea Di Pilla & Maria Rosaria Cozzolino & Alice Mannocci & Elettra Carini & Federica Spina & Francesco Castrini & Albino Grieco & Rosaria Messina & Gianfranco Damiani & Maria Lucia Specchia, 2022. "The Impact of Tumor Boards on Breast Cancer Care: Evidence from a Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-14, November.
    3. Andrea Alexander & Stephen Fung & Martin Eichler & Nadja Lehwald-Tywuschik & Vasuki Uthayakumar & Sami-Alexander Safi & Christian Vay & Hany Ashmawy & Sinan Kalmuk & Alexander Rehders & Sascha Vaghiri, 2022. "Quality of Life in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-10, March.
    4. Americo Cicchetti & Roberta Laurita & Luca Giorgio, 2022. "L?importanza dell?organizzazione in oncologia: collaborazione e coordinamento. Evidenze da una ricerca intervento sul tumore del polmone," MECOSAN, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2022(124), pages 93-111.
    5. Roberta Laurita, 2022. "I team multidisciplinari in sanit?: evidenze da un?analisi nazionale," MECOSAN, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2022(124), pages 45-63.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:15808-:d:986406. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.