Patient Engagement in Oncology Care: Impact on Specific Disease Incidence Rates

According to the American Cancer Society, 565,000 people will die of cancer in 2015.¹ According to a panel at the well-attended Partners HealthCare 12th Annual Connected Health Symposium, Oct. 29-30, 2015, in Boston, Mass., this number can be cut in half with clear and timely collaboration with patients.² The panel convened to discuss how to curb rising healthcare costs that have become a significant burden on the U.S. economy. Evidence indicates that these high costs are not necessary to produce value and could be reduced through improvements in care^.3

Why This is Important
Clinicians are turning toward big data to identify solutions that will drive down costs and increase treatment effectiveness. Data is being captured at a tremendous pace through a variety of means—devices, EMR/EHR records, clinical research, patient-reported—but the usefulness and ability to work quickly on the data is challenged by the inconsistent collection rigor, timing, comprehensiveness, lack of universal data standards and interoperability of systems as well as the ability of clinicians and patients to know how to use it.

A Changed or a New Form of Evidenced-Based Medicine?
At the Partners Health Connected Health Symposium, the President’s Cancer Pane—which included Ken Mandl, M.D., David Ahern, Ph.D., Ethan Basch, M.D., and Janet Freeman-Daily, M.S., conducted a workshop that outlined possible ways to capture and utilize data using new approaches and new technologies that may require a shift away from the traditional paradigm.

Evidence-based medicine has long been the standard for clinical decisions, but research upon which the treatment is based does not always incorporate the patient voice. The panelists indicated that proactively including patients in research designs with a goal to incorporate patient values and preferences in future studies is valuable and can be accomplished broadly available new technologies.

What New Technologies Can We Leverage?
In an effort to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care, some healthcare delivery systems are trying to move patients into more active participation in treatment decisions and care management. This strategy has been labeled “patient activation.”⁵

“Patients who have more knowledge, skill, and confidence in managing their health, and who are more adept at navigating and using the health care system, appear to incur lower costs,” Freeman-Daily said.⁶

Personal health data (PHD) can be shared actively via TweetChats, sites such as PatientsLikeMe or Apple’s Health Research kit; or passively, as people communicate with one another on social networks, shop, work, or participate in activities that leave digital footprints.

One example, TweetChat, systematically collects data in a 24 hour period that could otherwise take three to six months to gather.⁷

TweetChat: How Does It Work?
Note the number of physicians involved in the TweetChat infographic above.

Cautions to Consider
The panel noted that it is imperative to strike a balance between more traditional methodologies and newly-emerging approaches. Any conclusions based on patient provided data must incorporate the means to both validate findings and protect patients. For instance, crowdsourcing and citizen science may quickly provide data and insights but may not represent the appropriate sampling. Commercial companies that develop and maintain new apps where data is collected and potentially distributed may have different interests than research institutions. Privacy protection of data on public sites still needs attention.

Innovating Around the Major Burden of Cancer Costs
Cancer treatment costs and mortality will continue to skyrocket unless we identify innovative ways, not only to treat patients, but also to collect and use the data available in a timeline that is meaningful. We now have more tools at our disposal. How can we convince clinicians to be open to non-traditional health treatment resources? Patients will continue to demand a greater say in their care and will bypass traditional channels. Health providers, medtech companies and application developers can collaborate to tackle the huge challenge of reducing costs and improving outcomes of cancer patients. 

Refrences

1. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@editorial/documents/document/acspc-044552.pdf
2. President’s Cancer Panel: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp0715/summary.pdf
3. Op cit. 1
4. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/in-the-literature/2013/feb/patients-with-lower-activation
5. Ibid.
6. Janet Freeman-Daily, http://lcsmchat.com/2015/10/21/lcsm-chat-1022-at-8pm-et-sharing-your-story-talking-points-for-lungcancer-advocates/
7. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CR9xI8QUYAAL1we.png:large

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Maria Shepherd has 20 years of leadership experience in medical device/life-science marketing in small startups and top-tier companies. After her industry career, including her role as Vice President of Marketing for Oridion Medical where she boosted the company valuation prior to its acquisition by Covidien/Medtronic, Director of Marketing for Philips Medical and senior management roles at Boston Scientific Inc., she founded Data Decision Group. Data Decision Group provides marketing and business strategy and innovation research for the medical device industry. The firm quantitatively and qualitatively sizes and segments opportunities, evaluates new technologies, provides marketing services and assesses prospective acquisitions. Shepherd has taught marketing and product development courses, was recently appointed to the board of the Aligo Medtech Investment Committee (www.msbiv.com) and can be reached at 855-343-3100 x 102 or at mshepherd@medi-vantage. Visit our website at www.medi-vantage.com.