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

Maria Lucia Specchia, Andrea Di Pilla, Maria Antonietta Gambacorta, Alessandro Filippella, Flavia Beccia (), Sara Farina, Elisa Meldolesi, Chiara Lanza, Rocco Domenico Alfonso Bellantone, Vincenzo Valentini and Giampaolo Tortora
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Maria Lucia Specchia: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Andrea Di Pilla: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maria Antonietta Gambacorta: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 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
Vincenzo Valentini: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Giampaolo Tortora: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-10

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.

Keywords: rectal cancer; multidisciplinary tumor boards; IT platform; implementation; impact analysis; digital health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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