An Online Secure Shared Drive Proves Crucial to Data Management

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (BWCC) Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) Program performs over 500 transplants annually and approximately 6000 transplants since inception in 1972.  At our center, there are 6 data managers responsible for reporting patient information; one team submits to the CIBMTR in compliance with the federal outcomes mandate and the other team submits to the DFCI internal repository.  With the increasing volume of transplants performed and increasing requirements for maintaining long-term outcomes survivorship, effectively tracking and managing the supplemental patient files is important in optimizing team workflow. In 2010, we transferred from a paper based to a paperless online secure system called LiveLink; to centrally store supplemental patient information and manage team folders through a collaborative workspace. Access to shared departmental folders in LiveLink is granted on an individual user basis to uphold strict standards of security. LiveLink allows us to organize and share information in individual patient folders; by storing source documentation created outside of the medical record including correspondences with physicians confirming information such as disease stage, GVHD, performance scores, and documentation like patients’ health information release consent forms. Through LiveLink, data managers maintain centralized and sharable files, allowing for increased efficacy in daily tasks such as tracking outside note calling for patients and distribution of work, thereby reducing redundancy in team workflow. Additionally, LiveLink is used to manage team folders allowing access to projects, clarifications on CIBMTR data reporting, and internal training manuals. As an organizational tool, LiveLink has allowed us to streamline the maintenance of and improve communication on crucial supplemental patient information used for accurate data reporting.