Connolly Hospital are delighted to announce the launch of the NCIS which took place earlier this year

The NCIS is a digital support for prescribing and administering chemotherapy and allows for the recording of information about a patient’s cancer case, diagnosis and treatment with cancer drugs and supports the care of Oncology and Haematology patients across Ireland.

The National Cancer Information System (NCIS) is supporting the care of oncology and haemato-oncology patients receiving chemotherapy in the public hospitals across Ireland. NCIS facilitates the recording, the multi-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment decision process in addition to the complex chemotherapy prescribing, preparation and administration processes.

NCIS has been driven by the National Cancer Control Programme and has resulted from collaboration with the system suppliers, e-health and hospitals oncology medical, nursing and administration stakeholders. The NCIS rollout programme includes 26 voluntary and statutory hospitals providing Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment (SACT) with Connolly hospital being the eleventh hospital to implement.

Ms. Barbara Keogh Dunne, General Manager, Connolly Hospital said

“This project marks an important milestone for Connolly Hospital in delivering Safer, Better Healthcare to Oncology and Haematology patients. We extend our gratitude to all who contributed to its success.”

Picture: Ms. Barbara Keogh Dunne, General Manager, Connolly Hospital

Aims and Objectives

• Support the care of oncology and haemato-oncology patients through the use of key functionalities including prescribing, medication administration, and documentation.
• Provide a single national electronic record of cancer diagnosis and systemic anti-cancer treatment supporting patient safety.
• Ensure that relevant healthcare providers have access to patient’s data in a timely manner

This project demonstrated a transferable collaborative approach that could be applied to all system implementations across the HSE. The site was prepared for implementation with full local staff engagement. This collaborative approach combining e-Health expertise, NCCP proficiency and local knowledge combined to deliver a successful NCIS implementation ahead of schedule.

Outcomes

Patient Care

• Enhanced communication as a result of better capability for sharing of information between clinicians.

Medication Safety

• Provides enhanced medicine governance supporting safe and efficient delivery of chemotherapy with legible prescription and better communication

Documentation, Data, Audit and Research

• Provides a mechanism for data recording and report generation

Efficiency

• Provides a single longitudinal record comprising MDT patient record and prescribing and dispensing of SACT
• Cost saving staff time and unnecessary delays in treatment administration
• Reduction in consumables paper, storage and records management and postage costs.
• Improved communication between cancer centres local satellite centres

Exceptional teamwork was demonstrated throughout the project with evidence of consistent preparation and excellent communication. The NCCP, E-health and Connolly Hospital team collaborative approach to this project ensured the safe transition from a paper-based system to an electronic based system in a single event.

For further information regarding the NCIS at Connolly Hospital

Please contact Ms. Shiprah Samuel at shiprah.samuel@hse.ie