The Wilhelmina Hospital Assen (WZA) will launch the second version of the home measurement program Onco-Connect on Thursday 9 September. This version 2.0 is more personal to use and better tailored to the needs of the user. “Two different users will get different information through the app because they give different answers to the questions in the app. The home measurement program is therefore very individual and personal.”
The WZA has been using the Onco-Connect home measurement program since the end of last year. With this program in the Home Measurement app from software company Luscii, the hospital guides patients during their chemotherapy treatment. This guidance consists of providing the right information at the right time, monitoring complaints and providing care when it is needed.
Quickly in the right place
By using smart algorithms in the app, the user only gets those questions and information that apply. In the new version, patients need to fill in less in the app when they feel good. This makes filling in the app even more user-friendly and takes less time. Various modules in this new version have also been supplemented with special links to the cancer.nl web platform. Carli: “That way the patients end up in exactly the right place on the website and they don’t have to search for the information”.
Comforting
Patients receive information via the app when they need it. They also receive adequate help with complaints. By using the app, the WZA expects less dropout from chemotherapy and fewer admissions and emergency room visits.
Healthcare staff also see the app as a valuable addition to chemotherapy. Internist-onocologist Peter Nieboer believes that a major advantage is that there are early signs if the patient is not doing well. “We can intervene faster and thus prevent worse.” It also saves oncology nurses time that they would otherwise spend on screening, for example. “It also fits with the spirit of the times, providing good care from a distance,” says Nieboer. Patients find it reassuring that someone is constantly ‘watching’ when they fill in their measurements and any complaints. “I often hear that they really like that. In addition, keeping track of complaints gives us as care providers insight into the patient: how has it gone in recent weeks? It is no longer an accidental snapshot.”
Cancer.nl collaboration
Shortly after the start, cancer.nl indicated that it thought it was a good initiative and that it wanted to collaborate. For example, there is now a specially and jointly developed module ‘How does cancer.nl work?’. It explains what cancer.nl is and what it can mean for patients and relatives. “In this way we inform the patient about the possibilities and the importance of reliable and verified information. As everyone knows, the internet is full of information, but by no means all information is proven, reliable and correct. The information on cancer.nl is.”
Unique
Guiding patients during chemo via an app is unique. So far, 190 patients have used the app, 45 of them are currently using the app. Other hospitals have shown their interest in Onco-Connect. Other home measurement apps that the WZA offers its patients are Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation, PDS-Connect, and OK-Connect; IBD (chronic intestinal inflammation), COPD and Scopie-Connect are in the pipeline.
