New PhD project at the NST

Better follow-up after surgery

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in Norway today, and the number of people affected is increasing. In Northern Norway alone, 200 people undergo surgery for this disease every year.

This results in about 500 follow-up examinations each year – which means a great deal of travelling for patients and substantial expenses for the hospitals.

Follow-up examination by the patient's regular GP

In a new PhD project, researcher and surgeon Knut Magne Augestad will try to reduce both the inconvenience for patients and the costs for the public health service.

He would like to know whether the patient's regular GP could carry out these check-ups just as well using telemedicine. Might patients even prefer this type of follow-up?
 
"It is not unusual for the patient to meet a new specialist for every check-up at the hospital. The GP knows the patient and has a more complete overview of his or her state of health in general.

"We believe this may result in better continuity and follow-up of the patient. At the same time, patients will not have to travel as much as they did previously," says Augestad.

Web service for patients

The telemedicine element in this project involves the development of an electronic check-up card, which the GP fills in when the patient arrives for the check-up. This card will be integrated both in the GP's record for the patient and in the hospital record.

When the GP enters new information in the check-up card, both the GP record and the hospital record for the patient are updated automatically. A patient who has a relapse is sent to the hospital, where specialists can read the updated patient record so that they quickly obtain information about the patient's state of health.

A Web service will also be developed, where patients can log in and obtain more information about the disease. Here, they will also be able to communicate directly with the doctor using a question-and-answer service. For patients undergoing surgery, this could provide greater peace of mind about their treatment.

A total of 250 patients will take part in this study. Half of them will receive ordinary follow-up at the hospital, while the other half will be followed up by their regular GP after the surgery.

The project "New telemedicine services at a department of surgery" begins in January 2007 and will last until the end of 2010.

The work is being funded by the telemedicine research committee of the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority and will be conducted in collaboration with the hospitals in Tromsø, Harstad, Bodø and Arendal, as well as GPs in Tromsø, Nordreisa and Leirfjord.

Contact:  

Senior consultant Knut Magne Augestad, telephone (+47) 97 49 94 42 (direct mobile number)



 

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