A therapy protocol is then administered in several cycles and at specific intervals. Variants of the protocols or different protocols are also combined into a comprehensive overall protocol. Each clinic, medical practice, or oncology user must translate the protocol information from scientific publications or protocol directories into specific prescriptions themselves. Until now, this has been done by hand, using protocol templates, electronic worksheets, or electronic prescription systems.
In collaboration with oncological specialists and pharmacists of Onkodin GmbH, Fraunhofer IESE has standardized and formally described protocols for drug-based chemotherapy so that they can be created and processed electronically. The basic underlying idea is that each protocol is composed of self-contained modules that can be defined in a standardized way. This includes information on substances, diseases, type of application, literature references, supportive therapy, etc. Individual modules can be arranged into more complex modules that are managed in a relational database. Thanks to the modular structure, protocols can be easily modified and updated as required, for example to reflect changes in dosage. To export the therapy protocols digitally, they are generated dynamically from the database content in each case and exported in a structured form via existing interfaces to the desired application used by a hospital or doctor.
There are various options for this, such as online PDF presentation and, for the therapy, export to an MS Excel application and export to the programs BD CatoTM, J-MED, and Omniplaner. To quickly get information about the therapy, a simpler version is available for free on the website onchemo.com for both desktop and mobile devices. As of January 2024, a total of 2,475 therapy protocols had been made available in German and English on the basis of original scientific publications. There are continuous additions to these protocols, which were created in accordance with oncological guidelines and are used by many oncologists in private practice, by clinics and pharmacies. An editorial platform specially developed by Fraunhofer IESE supports the experts in creating and updating individual protocols in line with the guidelines and under regular quality control by hematologists-oncologists and pharmacists.
Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE