Screen2Care - digital capture of psycho-oncological support needs

Background. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used for assessment and monitoring of psychosocial distress in cancer patients; however, studies on the implementation and use of electronic PROMs in everyday clinical practice are still limited. An electronic distress screening for cancer patients, Screen2Care, with connection to the hospital information system(HIS) SAP i.s.h.med was developed. Objective. The aim of this study conducted by the Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich was to test the feasibility and acceptance of Screen2Care. Material and methods. A digital version of distress screening for cancer patients (QSC-R10) was developed. In a 3-month pilot study 69 patients completed the questionnaire on a tablet PC. Depending on the results of the screening, a request to the psycho-oncology department was automatically triggered within the HIS. Central operators of the screening were nursing staff. The feasibility and acceptance of Screen2Care were assessed through specific questionnaires evaluating patients' and nursing staff's satisfaction with the system. Results. The patients (n = 39) judged the electronic screening very positively. Nurses (n = 13) preferred electronic screening compared to paper-based screening. The handling of the screening software was considered to be uncomplicated and easy to learn for new users; however, the time required for the screening procedure and thus the integration into daily work routine was criticized. Conclusion. The pilot study confirmed the feasibility and acceptance of Screen2Care. The greatest advances of the system are the connection to the HIS and therefore the automatic monitoring of psycho-oncological consultations.