An electronic patient flow-board was implemented in an oncology clinic to improve communication and workflow. A study measured the impact and found that pharmacists spent less time managing nurse queries, with their time decreasing from 2.8 hours to less than 0.5 hours per week. Chemotherapy wastage was also reduced by 91.6% due to fewer cancelled or delayed treatments. Staff surveys indicated that the flow-board improved communication and patient care. The conclusion is that the electronic board improved efficiency and decreased patient waiting times by enhancing communication and reducing wasted medications.

1. Clare Smith, SHPA Medicines Management Conference Darwin, Australia 2014
Medicines Management 2014, the 40th
SHPA National Conference
Implementation of an electronic patient flow-board improves communication and patient
outcomes in an oncology clinic.
Clare Smith, Clinical Pharmacist, Flinders Medical Centre.
Aim: To describe the impact of implementation of an electronic patient flow-board on multidisciplinary
work-flow practice, communication, reduction of medication wastage and patient waiting times.
Method: A structured audit tool was introduced into a pharmacy chemotherapy manufacturing suit for
oncology clinic patients. The tool measured time pharmacists spent on managing nurse queries in
relation to the progress of patients’ manufactured cytotoxic preparations. Timing was measured pre
and post-implementation of an electronic patient-flow board. Medication wastage was assessed by a
data log kept over this period and additionally staff surveys were distributed to registered nurses and
pharmacists to capture subjective and qualitative responses regarding the flow-boards’ impact on
patient care, ease of use and its role in the clinic in the future.
Results: The mean time pharmacists spent on managing queries prior to the introduction of an
electronic patient flow-board was 2.8hrs/week compared to that of <0.5hours/week post-
implementation. The data log showed a decrease in chemotherapy wastage of 91.6% as a result of
patient’s cancelled/delayed treatment post-implementation of an electronic patient-flow board. Staff
surveys indicated 67% of respondents believed the flow-board improved communication amongst the
multidisciplinary team, with 45% reporting that it improved patient care, and 100% agreeing that the
unit should continue to use the patient flow-board over reverting back to the standard process.
Conclusion: Improving work practice is essential in providing an efficient pharmacy service. The
impact of an electronic patient flow-board improved communication in a multidisciplinary team and
decreased product wastage. We estimate these improvements to have increased product turnaround
time and therefore decreased patient waiting times. Embedding such a tool in similar clinics may be
of benefit to other pharmacy departments wanting to reduce wastage of manufacture items, improve
communication between production and the clinic leading to decreasing waiting times for patients.