I-Corps: Electronic Patient Visit Assessment Tool

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to better understand the use of a novel mobile health (mHealth) technology to capture patient-reported symptom measures to improve the quality of life and increase the survival of patients with cancer. The connections between mHealth technology for patient-reported symptom measures and improved outcomes for patients with cancer include preventing adverse events during cancer treatment, efficient work-flows that support improved patient-provider communication, and enhanced patient engagement.

Also, the novel use of mHealth technology can bridge the digital divide to close cancer care disparities. More broadly, the novel use of mHealth technology for patient-reported measures may apply to all illnesses, including remote monitoring of patients quarantined because of exposure to infectious diseases such as COVID-19. This I-Corps project aims to evaluate whether such use of novel mHealth technology for patient-reported measures can lead to new business opportunities within the healthcare industry.

This I-Corps project aims to use rigorous customer discovery to better understand the value of a novel mHealth technology for patient-reported symptom measures in oncology care. Patients with cancer sometimes undergo intense multimodal treatment causing nausea/vomiting, severe oral mucositis, difficulty swallowing, and impaired communication. These symptoms and functional limitations result in hospitalizations, premature cessation of cancer treatment, and even death.

After treatment, some patients experience long-term symptoms and disability (e.g., pain, immobility), resulting in social isolation and possibly suicide. Current methods to uncover patients' symptoms (e.g., email, telephones, additional oncology visits) are inefficient. Consequently, the patient's symptoms may go undetected and left untreated.

The novel mHealth technology for patient-reported symptom metrics consists of a digital platform and touch screen technology for patients to complete at home or while waiting for oncology visits. Patient data are immediately available to providers for real-time interventions to prevent adverse events during cancer treatment or long-term disabilities.

Proof of concept testing supports the reliability and validity of the novel mHealth technology. This I-Corps project aims to discover the most valuable elements of the novel mHealth technology to ready the product for introduction into the healthcare market.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.