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Considerations for Setting Up an Order Entry System for Nuclear Medicine Tests

¹ Department of Radiological Technology, Sumitomo Hospital, Osaka, Japan; ² Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, Japan; ³ Division of System, Sumitomo Hospital, Osaka, Japan; and ⁴ Department of Radiology, Sumitomo Hospital, Osaka, Japan

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Narihiro Hara, PhD, Sumitomo Hospital, 5-3-20, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0005, Japan. E-mail: hara-narihiro{at}sumitomo-hp.or.jp

ABSTRACT

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise–Japan (IHE-J) was established in Japan in 2001 and has been working to standardize health information and make it accessible on the basis of the fundamental Integrating Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) specifications. However, because specialized operations are used in nuclear medicine tests, online sharing of patient information and test order information from the order entry system as shown by the scheduled workflow (SWF) is difficult, making information inconsistent throughout the facility and uniform management of patient information impossible. Therefore, we examined the basic design (subsystem design) for order entry systems, which are considered an important aspect of information management for nuclear medicine tests and needs to be consistent with the system used throughout the rest of the facility. Methods: There are many items that are required by the subsystem when setting up an order entry system for nuclear medicine tests. Among these items, those that are the most important in the order entry system are constructed using exclusion settings, because of differences in the conditions for using radiopharmaceuticals and contrast agents and appointment frame settings for differences in the imaging method and test items. Conclusion: To establish uniform management of patient information for nuclear medicine tests throughout the facility, it is necessary to develop an order entry system with exclusion settings and appointment frames as standard features. Thereby, integration of health information with the Radiology Information System (RIS) or Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) based on Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards and real-time health care assistance can be attained, achieving the IHE agenda of improving health care service and efficiently sharing information.

Key Words: nuclear medicine; order entry system; hospital total information system; radiology information system; Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise; picture archiving communication system