Entwicklung digitaler Screeningprozesse für eine konsentierte multiprofessionelle Behandlung am Westdeutschen Tumorzentrum Essen

Early screening for patientsʼ support needs is of central importance in oncology. It makes it possible to efficiently record the psychosocial stress, symptoms and also the need for palliative care and specialist nursing of cancer patients. By using digital solutions, comprehensive data can be easily collected and incorporated into tailored interventions. Therefore, it is essential to establish appropriate structures. The aim of this article is to present the implementation of electronic psycho-oncological-palliative medical screening supplemented by questions regarding oncological specialist care (ePOS) at the West German Tumor Center (WTZ) in Essen as a best-practice model. Six key points are identified as central success factors for the implementation and use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): Patient focus; identification, recruitment and continuous support of “champions” who roll out the digital survey tools; standardization; information technology (IT) infrastructure; incentive structures; and political will. In addition to these key points, further practical steps are required in the process of implementing, rolling out and establishing a digital screening tool. These steps are described in this article according to the following structure and illustrated using examples of the procedure at the WTZ in Essen: structural development and clarification of the basics (formation and composition of a screening team, compilation of patient self-assessment questionnaires, addition of specialist nursing questions, IT infrastructure, process structures, clinical care algorithms), piloting, expansion and roll-out, consolidation and maintenance as well as perspectives.