Entwicklung eines digitalen onkologischen Routinescreenings (ONCO-ROUTES) am Universitären Onkologischen Zentrum Regensburg (UCC-R)

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are playing an increasingly important role in the evaluation of treatment success and progression in oncology. As a result, PROs have also found their way into the German Cancer Society’s certification requirements for oncology centers, among other things, with regard to the provision of supportive therapy.

A digital ONCOlogical ROUTinE Screening (ONCO-ROUTES) tool was developed at the University Hospital Regensburg (UKR) to assess the need for supportive therapy in a standardized way and to offer patients supportive therapy that is tailored to their needs.

Based on already established processes and current requirements, the development and digitization was carried out in connection with the information technology infrastructure of ONCO-ROUTES with the support of experts in focus groups and interviews.

The ONCO-ROUTES questionnaire was developed from a routine questionnaire on quality of life and needs already in use at the UKR, and includes the following domains: treatment phase, nutrition, tobacco use, alcohol use, quality of life, general condition/functional status, physical activity, psycho-oncology, social services, and further support needs. By linking the digitized questionnaire to the hospital information system, the results are immediately available in routine surgery and, thus, for the referral of patients for further supportive therapy.

Digital PROs in particular open up a wide range of clinical applications in oncology centers. ONCO-ROUTES is designed to provide supportive interdisciplinary therapy that is tailored to the patients’ needs.