My Cancer Portal
Research type
Research Study
Full title
My Cancer Portal. Creating a web portal for patients with colorectal cancer.
IRAS ID
174544
Contact name
Angus J M Watson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Highland
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cancer care continues to evolve. Incremental changes in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes has led to increased survivorship. The introduction of screening regimens and the organisation of health services to allow rapid access of patients to specialist opinion and investigation has also had an impact. The rationalisation of hospitals into fewer cancer centres has also occurred and is aimed at improving cancer-related outcomes. This considerable investment, may not however, have altered the patient’s experience of cancer care. More success with treatments has created greater cadres of cancer survivors who have to learn to live with the legacy of their diagnosis. Less attention, and investment, has been focussed on patients surviving treatment and their need for survivorship care plans (SCPs). SCPs promote care co-ordination, healthcare worker – healthcare worker communication, primary care knowledge regarding survivorship care and patient education about future healthcare needs.
There is therefore a need for a quality approach to support patients who survive with their diagnosis of cancer. This approach has to be sustainable within the current health resource. It will also need to address the needs of patients who live geographically distant from cancer care facilities. There is also a need to develop safety strategies into cancer care systems. This includes ensuring that every patient has the opportunity to be discussed at a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting and has access to oncology and specialist nursing expertise. Equally the entire care team, including community and secondary care, should be sighted on the treatment plan for that individual patient. An holistic needs assessment (HNA) should be conducted to ensure that medical and non-medical issues are discussed and where possible, solutions sought. Above all the patient and his/her family should be aware of the treatment plan.
The aim of this project is, therefore, to build a dedicated web portal that is visible both to patients and clinicians. This portal, Mycancerportal.co.uk, will facilitate the care of all patients with cancer in Scotland and possibly into other healthcare regions. The portal will be mobile, tablet and PC compatible and will sit within the new NHS Scotland Patient Portal as it is constructed. A co-production, co-design approach will be used. Patient and clinical panels will be recruited to decide on both the content and the design of the portal.REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
16/WA/0219
Date of REC Opinion
10 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion