Burnaby Electronic Tool for Safety Monitoring of Patients on MS Disease Modifying Therapies (BESAFE DMT)

Background: In the last decade, disease modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis have significantly increased in number and efficacy leading to a proportional increase in risk profile and thus need for frequent personalized safety monitoring. In the busy clinic setting, ensuring patient adherence to safety monitoring and tracking results thereof, provide a challenge to the health care workers, increased risk to the patient and potentially poor therapeutic outcomes.

Objectives: To develop an electronic Tests Monitoring Tool that provides alerts to physicians and nurses of recently performed or upcoming routine scheduled tests for MS patients on any DMT.  Having such an alert system in place, in addition to regular electronic medical records, would increase patients’ safety by ensuring abnormal results are seen and missed testing can be re-scheduled in a timely manner.  It is also paramount that such a tool be universal and flexible allowing for user-friendly changes within the patient record.

Methods: Safety monitoring protocols were created for each DMT which included lab test and MRI frequency, funding renewal date, and free fields for ad hoc tests. In collaboration with EmPower Health Research, Inc, a web accessible tool was developed to alert health care workers of upcoming actions identified in the DMT protocols. Each patient whose lab testing, MRI appointment or funding renewal is due is listed in a monthly report.  This report is meant as a reminder for the health care worker to follow up on each task, the tool does not store any patient data other than basic demographics and dates of activities due.

Results: This tool is designed to enhance patient adherence to growing burden of monitoring tests and improve patients’ safety. Missing even one scheduled test may have dire consequences for a patient, leading to potential toxicity, poor therapeutic outcomes, and increased costs to the health care system. The testing of the tool in single MS center is completed. The data confirming high level of satisfaction, ease of use by health care providers and cost analysis will be presented.

Conclusions: The BESAFE DMT is a cost-effective tool, which improves patient safety by enabling us to intervene quickly to abnormal results or a missed test and improves patient safety.