Nationwide Survey of the Database System on Gastric Cancer Patients

Yang, Han Kwang; ,

Abstract

This nationwide survey was conducted to evaluate the current status of the database system on gastric cancer patients in Korea. The Information Committee of Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) sent questionnaires about the database management to all 402 KGCA members in 110 institutes. In addition, we asked them to send the gastric cancer sheet and the pathologic report of gastric cancer used in their institutes. Response rates were 18.9% (76/402) for individuals and 51.8% (57/110) for institutes, respectively. Most of the university hospitals responded to the questionnaire (response rate of university hospital: 74.6%, 44/59). A regular conference of gastric cancer and a digitalization of the database on gastric cancer patients were performed in 29 (50.9%) and 43 (75.4%) out of 57 institutes, respectively. MS excel was most commonly used for the digitalization of the database, followed by MS access and SPSS. A regularly formed gastric cancer sheet and pathologic report were used in 38 (66.7%) and 49 (86.0%) institutes, respectively. Hospital computerization, such as an Order Communicating System, an Electric Medical Record, and a Picture Archiving/Communicating System had been set up previously or would be set up in the near future in most institutes. In 25 gastric cancer sheets collected, the mean number of total items was 72.9 (15~177). Identification data for the patients, surgical data, and pathologic data were included on most of the sheets, but preoperative status, preoperative diagnostic data, and postoperative hospital course were not.