Focusing on better patient care this Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for patients, providers, and loved ones dealing with breast cancer, it’s more than just an opportunity to wear pink. During this month, we honor survivors, remember those we’ve lost, and double down on our shared dedication to lessening the impact of this all-too-common disease.

While the ultimate goal is to cure breast cancer, as long as it persists in our communities, there are ample opportunities to improve disease management—not just in breast cancer, but in all kinds of cancer.

Better oncology disease management leads to better treatment and outcomes, simply by equipping everyone with the specific tools they need. With improved disease management:

• Patients have a better understanding of their disease and treatment plan

• Caregivers are better prepared to care for their loved ones

• Providers are better able to give patients the quality care they deserve

Improving oncology disease management with digital

The road to improved disease management in oncology leads through digital, and that’s where BrightInsight is proud to be playing a part. Digital solutions can help improve the caregiver and provider experience in oncology and tackle some of the biggest challenges, including:

• Disparate data sources: Today, there is more data available to oncologists than ever before, including population-level data, clinical trial data and individual patient data. Yet navigating the wealth of information is tenuous. Clinicians must navigate multiple systems, inputs and tools in search of data points that can inform clinical decision making—a time-consuming and complex process.

• A myriad of treatments: In breast cancer alone, there are 62 on-market drugs and 350 pipeline drugs. While this means that patients diagnosed today have more options for successful treatment pathways, it also means that it’s more challenging than ever for providers to match each individual patient with the right treatment.

• Siloed care providers: In such a quickly evolving area of medicine, collaboration is key. Yet EHR limitations and disconnected data sources make it hard for oncologists to share learnings, troubleshoot and become familiar with innovative treatments.

• Remote patient monitoring: Not every patient lives close to a major cancer center, yet it’s crucial that patients are monitored during treatment. Many of today’s remote patient monitoring solutions leave much to be desired, for both patients and providers.

Well-designed digital solutions can ease pain points that frustrate providers, patients and caregivers alike, and enhance the patient experience by connecting healthcare stakeholders and giving them tools to excel.

Patient tools like patient apps, medication reminders, and other companion solutions can keep patients engaged and adherent. Clinician tools enable data-driven discussions and empower patients to make the right treatment decisions for their unique situations. And real-world data (RWD) can inform clinical development strategies, improve access and enable outcomes-based contracts with payers.

Every day we see more and more progress toward our vision to transform patient outcomes globally by bringing the power of digital technology to healthcare. And oncology is the perfect place to make an impact.