Use of Process Modelling for Optimization of Molecular Tumor Boards

Abstract

In Molecular Tumor Boards, a team of experts discuss the individual therapy options of a cancer patient based on their individual molecular profile. The process—from recommendation request, through molecular diagnosis, to a personalized therapy recommendation—is complex and time-consuming. Therefore, process optimization is needed to decrease the workload of physicians and to standardize the process. For this purpose, we modeled the current workflow of the Molecular Tumor Board at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf on Service-Oriented Architecture using Business Process Modeling and Notation to highlight areas for improvement. This identified many manual tasks and an extensive workload for the physician. We then created a novel, simplified, more efficient workflow in which the physician is supported by additional software. In summary, we show that the use of Service-Oriented Architecture using Business Process Modeling and Notation for Molecular Tumor Board processes promotes rapid adaptability, standardization, interoperability, quality assurance, and facilitates collaboration.