Smartphone App Helps Cancer Surgeons Track Ovarian Cancer Outcomes

A newly created smartphone application (app) is enabling ovarian cancer surgeons in Canada to record findings directly from the operating room to the provincial database where ovarian cancer tumor data are stored, studied, and monitored.

The app, developed by the Cheryl Brown Ovarian Cancer Outcomes unit, a division of the Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OvCaRe) at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada), prompts surgeons to enter specific surgical details, which then populate directly into the Outcomes Unit, saving time and increasing accuracy.

Dr. Sarah Finlayson, an assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, and a gynecologic surgeon and researcher with OvCaRe (a joint project of the BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver Coastal Health), led the concept to improve the database of research information, which supports current and future research studies. “As soon as the case is finished, I can pick up my iPhone and enter all of the vital information from the procedure we just performed,” Dr. Finlayson stated. “This takes approximately five minutes to complete versus a lengthy chart review process, which would then need to be manually entered into the system.”

Patient data are secured though a coding that scrambles distinctive patient identifiers through the data transmission. The final result is vital data that are approved and anonymized is immediately available for cutting-edge ovarian cancer research initiatives.

The new app is a part of an enhancement to the Cheryl Brown Ovarian Cancer Outcomes Unit, which will upgrade technology, software, and functionality, so that customized patient data can be inputted from the entire health team and extracted and analyzed in “real time” for clinical treatment. This could enhance patient care while providing a superb clinical database for research purposes.

Gaining new insights into the biology of ovarian cancer and patient responses to treatment centers on the completeness and accuracy of the data stored in the outcomes unit and gynecologic cancer tissue bank, which lay the basis for advances in healthcare. Up to now, this type of data has supported a significant number of research projects, including a landmark study that identified ovarian cancer subtypes.

Related Links:
University of British Columbia
Cheryl Brown Ovarian Cancer Outcomes unit