Decision support - challenging discrimination in groups outside the norm

Purpose and goal

The aim of the project is to further develop a decision support system by focusing on the needs of patients and close relatives and not only the needs of healthcare. By focusing on a group outside of the norm - young adults with cancer - and their needs we have challenge the informationflow in healthcare. The purpose is to enable needs outside of the norm to be met by an existing system. By doing so challenge the imbalance in power between healthcare and patients/relatives, resulting in better medical and psychosocial outcomes. Usertests show that the aim and purpose of the project are being met.

Expected results and effects

The project has resulted in expanded functionality, including patient reporting and feedback from healthcare. For patients, knowing e.g what symptoms to be aware of and knowing that healthcare will follow up on what is reported and take appropriate actions if needed, decreases anxiety. The social benefit is a more inclusive and equal healthcare system with improved medical outcomes. The solution generates new data, of importance for research and follow-up, within innovation of care and in pharmaceutical innovation. It can contribute to Sweden’s position as a leader in life science.

Planned approach and implementation

In the project a survey was conducted among the members of Ung Cancer (patient org) as well as extensive interviews with patients, caregivers, oncology specialists and contact nurses. The results were the foundation for ideation generation workshops where the concepts were created, prioritized, and prototyped. Prototypes were user tested and updated in a iterative design process. After legal and technical analysis, development specifications were developed, as a basis for technical development. Technical analysis was revisited during the project due to MDR regulations.