Developing an information management dashboard for oncology wards

Considering the growth of cancer in the world and also in Iran, the oncology ward is considered as one of the most significant wards in hospitals. Information quality plays a key role in improving the performance of this ward. Dashboards can track the key indicators and improve the performance of oncology wards through transferring information to managers.Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the performance indicators for oncology wards, based on the the needs of decision makers, and then design and evaluate an appropriate dashboard.

In the first stage, the key performance indicators were determined using a questionnaire which was completed by all 30 oncology administrators in private hospitals as well as hospitals affiliated with Medical Universities in Tehran. In the second stage, QLIKVIEW software was used to design a dashboard which was evaluated by hospital directors, and directors of the oncology wards in Shohada Haftom Tir and Firouzgar Hospitals.

Seven key performance indicators, including the number of patients, days off, hours of training, personnel, complaints, as well as income and expense were identified. The satisfaction mean scores of hospital directors, the technical staff and the internal director of the oncology ward were 7.5±0.32, 7.4±0.39, and 7.3±0.37, respectively.

Dashboards can collect data scattered between various depatments, summarize them, and provide key performance indicators. The information available in dashboards in oncology wards can provide a basis for informed decision making to improve the performance of the ward.