The Cancer Referral Guidelines app, which is available on iOS and Android devices, enables medical professionals, including doctors and others involved in the primary setting, to access the most recent version of the guidelines quickly and efficiently.

Designed by mobile and big data experts at University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) Scottish Centre for Enabling Technologies (SCET), the clinical decisions support app assists GPs with the identification of suspicious symptoms prior to referral and treatment from a specialist. It also has information to help identify patients who are unlikely to have cancer or who may require non-urgent referral to a hospital.

Idong Usoro, technical director at SCET, said: “The introduction of a cancer referral guidelines app provides a digital solution to many of the issues faced by medical practitioners when they are going about their daily business.

“Access to the app ensures doctors have the necessary information and guidance at their fingertips with or without an online connection.

“Carrying printed guidelines is not always practical and this means there is a difficulty in using them discreetly. It can also be used to support junior clinicians during their on-the-job learning, increasing the efficiency of the entire training process.”

The project saw the Scottish Centre for Enabling Technologies (SCET), a world-class research and development centre based in University of the West of Scotland’s School of Engineering and Computing, work with NHS National Services Scotland’s Health on the Web (SHOW) team to develop mobile applications for iOS and Android devices, and a cloud-based content management system.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “This is an important development in delivering better cancer care for patients across Scotland. It will give GPs in Scotland the most up-to-date clinical guidelines for cancer investigations at their fingertips – helping them to make the most appropriate referrals to hospital. The Scottish Government funded this project to help deliver the aims of our Detect Cancer Early Programme which aims to ensure people with cancer are diagnosed as early as possible to give them the best possible outcome.”

The app was commissioned by the Scottish Government. Users of iOS devices can download the cancer referral guidelines app by logging on to the Apple Store while those with Android can find it on the Google Play store.

 

Links

University of the West of Scotland

NHS National Services Scotland