Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men with about 1,000 new cases diagnosed every week in the UK. Support for men post diagnosis can involve managing side-effects (physical, sexual, emotional) which may be life-long and affect quality of life.
Wave Health Pro is a digital application which allows patients to input their symptoms, activities, test results, medications and lifestyle factors.. These can then be analysed to provide AI-driven personalised insights to help manage their symptoms. It can also support healthcare professionals in monitoring their patients. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to roll out ‘supported self-management’ to provide personalised care and empower patients to manage ongoing conditions.
Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley performed a barrier to adoption study using the lean assessment process methodology and engaged with key stakeholders working in the post diagnosis prostate cancer pathway to gain insights into the perceived usefulness, potential clinical benefits, acceptability and barriers to adoption of the device for this unmet clinical need.
Stakeholders expressed optimism at integrating Wave Health Pro into the proposed pathway and pinpointed several benefits for both healthcare staff and patients in supporting patients’ self-management and clinical management of symptoms/ complications. A pilot study is under way in the NHS.
