Nov 22, 2023 (Toronto, ON) – The measurement of and clinicians’ response to patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) has been found to have many clinical benefits, including the patient’s improved quality of life and increased overall survival. This method has the potential to better utilize healthcare human resources, and decrease the need for extended clinical hours, urgent care and emergency care.
Through its Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN®), OBIO® has facilitated a study by the University Health Network (UHN) with Zamplo Inc., an Alberta-based company with a connected health platform, the Zamplo app, to monitor PROs of patients undergoing RT.
The app provides researchers and clinicians with a flexible tool to collect PROs, including symptoms, ability to function and/or quality of life, through multiple formats at any required frequency (e.g. a routine survey or an ad hoc measurement). The app can be used for patients with any disease regardless of their treatment or related conditions and can collect information from both patients and caregivers. The data is easily shared across the platform by healthcare providers in any setting of the patient’s choice.
As part of its strategic priorities, UHN aims to transform the health system through consumer-centric innovation and emerging technologies, supporting outstanding patient experiences in every interaction.
“Consumer-friendly apps such as Zamplo focus on enhancing personalized, equitable, compassionate care and transforming the patient experience, while also helping the care team optimize treatment and use of hospital space and resources,” said Philip Wong, MD, who is the EAHN™ evaluation lead at UHN.
“Our evaluation with OBIO® focuses on a proactive model of care which enhances patient-clinician communication and informs optimal clinical decision making, leading to fundamental changes in radiation therapy symptom management while maintaining a safe model of care with better utilization of resources,” he added. “The goal is to challenge today’s fragmented system and put consumer-friendly apps and tools in the hands of patients, families and providers.”
“Navigating cancer care can be complex and daunting for patients and caregivers. Zamplo is a care tool made by patients for patients to modernize and improve their experience,” said. Jennifer Croke, MD, Radiation Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. “The platform acts as a triage for radiation follow-up care, directing more complex cases for in-person assessment and helping others avoid taxing and sometimes costly trips to the hospital. Thus, patients on radiation can use the platform to inform the treatment team of their well-being, and the care team is better informed about the patient’s medical and/or psychosocial needs or lack thereof.”
“The Zamplo app allows clinicians and researchers to focus on the “whole” patient, supporting improved communication without increasing consult time, and engaging patients and their caregivers more in their care,” said Shaneel Pathak, CEO of Zamplo. “The Zamplo app allows patients to document their health journey on a desktop or mobile device, including symptoms, activities and medications. Researchers and clinicians can use the app to gather PROs through questionnaires and health tracking journal entries to help determine quality of life. Through OBIO’s EAHN™ program, Zamplo is now partnering with the largest health research organization in Canada.”
“OBIO® is delighted to support Zamplo, an Alberta-based company, through the EAHN™ program to facilitate a project with UHN and help Zamplo access the Ontario market,” said. Maura Campbell, PhD, President and CEO of OBIO®. “We look forward to seeing the benefit of the Zamplo app to better utilize healthcare human resources and improve patients’ quality of life.”
About OBIO®
OBIO®, a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization, is prioritizing the evaluation of new technologies through their Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™). OBIO® is engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to further the commercialization of human health technologies, positioning Canada as a leader in the international marketplace. To learn more, visit: obio.ca.
About Zamplo Inc.
Zamplo Inc. is a mission-driven social enterprise, founded in 2015. Zamplo has created a person-centered connected health platform that provides a central location for individuals to track their whole health data while staying connected to their clinicians, caregivers, researchers and the health community.
With informed consent, the Zamplo App can be used to collect patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between participants and researchers through an integration with the electronic data capture platform, Zamplo Research. This integration supports patient-centered research by streamlining study enrolment, providing tools for PRO collection, and focusing on participant engagement and quality of life. Researchers and clinicians can engage participants in their own care as participants retain control of their data and can access their personal health information to make more informed decisions.
About University Health Network
University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, arthritis, vision, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information: www.uhn.ca.
Contacts
For more information about OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™), or if you are interested in joining the Network, please contact:
Bibaswan Ghoshal
Senior Director, Technology Adoption
Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization
bibaswanghoshal@obio.ca
For more information about Zamplo Inc. please contact:
Shaneel Pathak
CEO
Zamplo inc.
shaneel@zamplo.org
For more information about University Health Network please contact:
Ania Jones
Sr. Manager, Strategic Communications & Partnership Engagement
University Health Network
ania.jones@uhn.ca