An innovative approach to manage cancer patient information for care coordination and monitoring using a digital health platform for a nonprofit tertiary cancer care institute in India.

Abstract

e14102 Background: In India, most patients maintain a personal copy of their medical record in paper form which is hard to manage and collate. Newly diagnosed cancer patients and their doctors have an insurmountable task of consuming and using that information. Making this information available in an easy to consume format as well as recording a patient’s cancer experience is a technical challenge. We piloted an innovative mobile application to address this pain point. Methods: A pilot engagement was performed with 100+ cancer patients visiting a non-profit oncology center between March 2019 and January 2020 in a suburb of New Delhi, India. Systematic medical information was captured on stage, TNM, molecular markers, tumor size, tests, and treatments. We assessed the utility of a digital health application for the purpose of cancer information management and ease of use by the medical team. Results: Data for a total of 65 patients with a single cancer and diagnosis and treatment information was captured. Patients were between the ages of 23 and 78, mean age 49. Of these patients, there were 21 (32%) early stage cases ( < Stage 3), 23 (35%) late stage cases ( > Stage 2), and 21 (32%) cases with missing stage. Overall, 39 (60%) received a chemotherapy only regimen, 2 (3%) radiation only, 6 (9%) surgery only, 6 (9%) received chemotherapy and radiation, 11 (17%) received surgery and chemotherapy, and 1 (1%) patient received surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Clinic staff reported that the application was easy to use and helpful. We continue to enhance the application with staff feedback. Conclusions: We demonstrate the feasibility and value of moving to a next generation digitized mobile platform circumventing the need for a traditional EMR system at a busy non-profit oncology clinic in the suburbs of New Delhi, India. Using the pilot, we make a case that this type of technology has the ability to transform cancer care for rural and low-resource cancer centers. We also demonstrate that it is easy to capture patient longitudinal data using this innovative platform.