A new online “app” to help patients with pancreatic cancer has been created by experts at Leicester’s hospitals.
My Pancreas by the Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Unit and Design Agency AGF Studio is now available on Apple’s app store for iPhone and iPad from the start of September.
It is among the first of its kind to released in the UK and has been designed to guide a
patient through their journey from initial referral to treatment, how to manage symptoms and where to find further help and support.
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The Leicester General Hospital hepato-pancreato-biliary team, led by clinical director and consultant surgeon
Giuseppe Garcea, Professor Ashley Dennison and lead HPB nurse specialist Cris Pollard, have been working on the project since February 2015.
Mr Garcea said: “Many people will only have limited knowledge about the pancreas. My team has recognised modern technology provides lots of options for patients and carers to access information.”
It began when the team approached De Montfort University to take part in their annual “hackathon” event where computer programmers get together to generate ideas to improve the lives of older and vulnerable people.
Mr Garcea said the event “offered a unique opportunity to develop a working model of the app as proof of concept and invaluable feedback, support and advice was obtained.”
The experience enabled the HPB department to approach charitable organisations with a clearer plan.
This in turn led to the department securing initial funding for the project from the Leicester Hospitals charity, Pancreatic Cancer UK and Leicester City Council.
In June last year, the HPB department partnered with Leicester-based digital agency AGF Studio, to take over the project development.
Headed by design director Andrew Foxwell, the app was completely redesigned to create a more patient-centred product.
Mr Foxwell said: “It has been a pleasure to work with the HPB Unit in Leicester.”
The app has just completed its final testing stage where the HPB Unit invited more than 60 different healthcare professionals, patients, carers, family members and Pancreatic Cancer UK to test the application before its release.
Jonathan Degg, a retired English teacher from Shepshed, who is a patient at Leicester’s hospitals, said: “The information in the app was very useful, non-patronising and specific enough to give a patient or carer’s confidence in its relevance and usefulness.”
[Source:-Leister]
