Technology was the missing piece of healthcare - until now

Brie McHugh, from Careology, explains her experience in implementing technology in the health setting, including rolling out the digital cancer care platform.

Rapid pace of tech adoption

COVID has accelerated the adoption of technology within healthcare. Since the pandemic began, we have seen an unprecedented uptick in digital health in the form of telemedicine, at home symptom monitoring, and online pharmacies.

While this increase in remote treatment has been effective in addressing health concerns in the midst of the pandemic, further effort must go into driving the digitisation of healthcare if we are to deal with the medium-to-long term problems we are heading into.

There has been a huge rise in people missing urgent cancer checks over the past year which has overwhelmed health services. Patients are facing long waits for treatment and it's been reported that the NHS cannot deal with this backlog, setting survival rates for some cancers back a decade. If we are to achieve the best possible outcome for everyone living with cancer, diagnosed or not, then technology is going to need to take a central role.

The All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) for Radiotherapy and Health, recently published a report outlining a series of recommendations to be undertaken if we are to make it through the cancer crisis they foresee us facing, with best possible outcomes for all involved.

The report’s final recommendation is for the government to “cast away needless bureaucracy” within the NHS and to listen to nurses and clinicians working on the frontline in order to implement and integrate existing technology solutions.

But there is optimism when we consider the capacity and willingness of the NHS to speed up adoption and implementation of technology in the cancer care pathway. When I first started working in healthcare, all charting was on paper and samples were processed on paper and sent off to labs who would return results within one or two weeks, also in paper form. These results then had to be clinically approved and were then given to the patient on the phone, over email, or in the post. Nowadays, point of care testing (PoCT) means that in many cases, test results can be received within 20 minutes.

This is only one example of how technology has been integrated to speed up processes, reduce human error and minimise the burden on staff. 

Why has adoption sped up?

COVID has certainly accelerated the adoption of technology in cancer care, but it is not the only reason for this increased uptake.

Nurses, clinicians and healthcare professionals are using digital technology in all areas of their lives. They now expect to use digital tools as part of the healthcare they provide. This increase in usage has also increased their aptitude and understanding of technology. This has sped up adoption for two reasons: increased appetite goes some way to influencing change and adoption within the NHS. Secondly, a more digitally proficient workforce, minimises the cost and time associated with training staff to use new tools.

Patients are also demanding greater use of digital health, which has further sped up adoption. Surveys undertaken by Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Homecare suggest that approximately six in ten patients want to use technology with their treatment plan. This increased demand for tech amongst patients has undoubtedly been accelerated by the necessary use of remote monitoring and symptom reporting products for clinicians to watch over patients from afar. One patient said, “my nurse and I both think it’s brilliant that she can check up on me before she sets foot in the door”. These tools have empowered patients to be informed about their conditions, as well as having greater insight into their treatment and progress. Empowered patients are proactive in their care, which enables nurses and clinicians to provide appropriate support when it is needed most.

Through the use of technology virtual rounds and remote triage can be incorporated, enabling nurses to reduce in-person check-ups and follow-up appointments. This will quickly unlock further capacity allowing them to deliver care to more patients across the nation. This capacity will be vital as they deal with the influx of referrals as a result of the pandemic.

Health technology companies are also increasingly realising that if they want to see their products widely being used in health services, they need to prioritise ease of use and ease of integration. To this end, Careology operates with an open API and has been built for full interoperability - it is system agnostic and can be integrated anywhere. As the complete interoperability of products increases, we will undoubtedly see a corresponding increase in adoption.

Future of tech in cancer space

Technology in cancer care is here to stay and it’s going to play a significant role in overcoming the cancer crisis we’re in the midst of as a nation. There are some technologies which I predict will play a pivotal role in the future of cancer treatment.

AI diagnostics

A 2019 study found that around 20% of women treated for breast cancer had to undergo a second operation to remove malignant cells which were missed the first time. An AI-assisted imaging device by OncoRes Medical was approved by the FDA in October 2020. During a lumpectomy, this handheld device uses AI to distinguish healthy tissue from malignant cells, resulting in significantly improved outcomes.

AI as a matchmaker

AI is also being used to ‘match-make’ specific cancers with the most appropriate treatments. Oncompass Medicine uses AI algorithms to match patients’ tumour samples with the most effective targeted cancer therapies. This means that patients receive targeted treatments specific to the kind of cancerous tissue they have.

Robotics for surgery

Surgeons being assisted by surgery robots such as DaVinci have the ability to perform operations with unprecedented precision. It’s feasible that technology like this will make it possible to perform surgery when tumours are very small or near sensitive organs in the not-so-distant future.

Looking to the future

It’s true that tech and digital tools had previously been the missing piece in healthcare. We now have the opportunity to fully integrate this ‘piece’ into the clinical pathway and transform the way cancer care is delivered. It is critical that the industry suppliers and NHS work closely together to enable the effective adoption of tech and digital tools at the necessary speed to combat the UK’s cancer crisis.