As more research and technology is advancing in the medical field today, there are many more choices in the treatment of cancer. The decision on the type of treatment is very important because it is someone's life on the line. So how does a cancer patient decide the right route to take?
What may help a cancer patient is a decision support system. A decision support system can help inform the user of other treatments and medications that the patient may have been unaware about. In an article, $2 million is dedicated for the combination of research initiatives and a national website that is aimed to match breast cancer patients with clinical trials nationwide and even provide decision support tools.
How the DSS will help the patient is by allowing the user to come out the DSS fully informed and confident with his/her decision. The data base will have the the different types of breast cancer, stages of cancer, cancer information, treatment types and information, medication, support group information, prosthesis retailers, and doctors that specialize in cancer treatment and related fields.
The user will be prompted to choose why they are visiting the site and go straight to the needed decision support tool or go through a formalized system of questions. Information and links will be tied to certain questions such as if a patient has a mascetomy, links to reconstruction and prothesis will be provided by the side. Also, the patient can view side effects of certain medications and treatments while using the DSS. If the patient is unfamiliar with what steps to take, the DSS will guide her linearly through the menu and questions. If a professional is using the DSS such as a doctor, the doctor can input certain conditions so that the database can match those conditions to the right treatment.
References
De Gier, Vanessa. Safeway Foundation Gives $2 million to UCSF for Breast Cancer Support. University of California, San Francisco. 30 April 2008.
http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/200804301/
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1 comment:
Interesting choice of articles! How might you improve this DSS?
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