The Evolution of Oncology Electronic Health Records

Health information technology will transform health care delivery over the coming years. The central element of this will be the electronic health record, maintained by health professionals and linked to other health care providers, patients, and research and population health databases. Support of oncology functionality will necessitate special attention to how electronic health records are constructed, cancer-related data represented within, and clinical decision support tools designed to best support the objectives of quality care and cost-effectiveness. Standardization of functions and software will permit data exchange, leading to enhanced interoperability of systems. The present efforts at establishing oncology-related standards for electronic health records are reviewed.