PROSECare App

Cancer is a leading global health challenge with increasing morbidity and mortality. In Nigeria, we record over 100,000 new cases and 70,000 deaths annually.

As the cancer incidence rises, more cancer patients are accessing treatments. Due to the aggressive tumour biology and predominantly late-stage presentation (Stage III and IV), the majority of patients require systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These treatment modalities result in debilitating side effects and can range from pain, discomfort, reduced quality of life and sometimes death of the patient.

Nigeria has 95 clinical oncologists and oncology nurses to manage cancer and side effects clinics. This shortage causes cancer patients with debilitating treatment-related side effects to be left stranded, admitted as emergencies or hospitalised in hospitals not affiliated with their cancer centres.

The problem we are solving is the underreporting of treatment-related side effects (TRSE) by cancer patients. Despite time spent in the clinic during treatment, many treatment-related side effects occur at home in the community setting. These TRSEs are usually under-reported and poorly managed, leading to emergencies, poor quality of life, treatment non-adherence and sometimes fatalities. 

Patient barriers to promptly reporting side effects include long distances to see the cancer care team. Sometimes, patients need to be better informed about the side effects to expect and how to self-manage.In other instances, for sociocultural reasons, patients absorb the discomfort and hope and pray that relief will occur.

Traditionally, most TRSEs are managed at a side effect or reaction clinic, held once or twice a week in a hospital setting. Patients may have to postpone reporting their TRSE to the next week, when symptoms may have gotten worse or resolved. Existing side-effect clinics lack structured and standardised data collection tools to monitor and manage side-effects remotely.

In 2021, clinicians and innovators collaborated to address the lack of side effects data and poor quality of life experienced by patients by developing the PROSE (Patient Reported Outcome Side Effects) app, a digital oncology research tool dedicated to improving supportive cancer care in Africa. 

It is a patient-centred digital registry for reporting the side effects of cancer treatment. Powered by AI, the app generates real-world data and provides clinical advice to cancer patients.

Preliminary data from the PROSECare Remote symptom pilot study reveal that 100 cancer patients on radical radiotherapy with 16 cancer types reported over 50,000 acute side effects on the  PROSE Study App. 

The PROSECare app is a promising technology that facilitates digital symptom monitoring for immunotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy. It is the smartest way to get around treatment-related side effects (TRSE).

It is a cloud-based personalized digital health tool for cancer which features an electronic health record and symptom monitoring tool that captures real-world data of patient-reported outcomes(text, audio and image). Users have remote access to their cancer care team which improves the quality of life and clinical workflow of cancer hospitals. Powered by machine learning PROSE clinical algorithm assesses, tracks, predicts and advises patients on treatment-related side effects.

The electronic patient-reported outcome tool displays the functionalities of the PROSE intervention for the patient and the clinician, including daily side effect reporting and education for patients and real-time access to patient reports and side effect summaries for clinicians. The app provides self-management guidance based on symptom severity and triages patients to visit their cancer centre, access a chat box, or schedule video/audio consultations.

 Using the PROSE platform allows patients and caregivers to be involved and active in the patients’ care. The inclusion of caregivers in the tool’s utilization may have contributed to patient engagement during PROSE pilot testing, with a 62% utilisation rate

Based on our pilot PROSE study and user feedback we discovered that 24% of the population that used the app were caregivers while 76% were patients. Our target population is newly diagnosed cancer patients scheduled to commence treatment. Our second user persona is the family members of our patients who sometimes use the app on behalf of their loved ones diagnosed with cancer. The median age of respondents is 52, with an interquartile range of 41 to 64.

The PROSE Care app is a cost-effective and feasible tool for cancer patients and caregivers in the home setting. It can increase the value of cancer care and clinical practice in the following ways.

1. By providing real-time communication and follow-up between the cancer care team and patients

-Two-way in-app chat system

-Side effects(Acute, sub-acute and late)

1. Patient support system during non-clinic hours. With PROSECARE, patients know what to do when they have side effects, stay connected with their team, and make confident care decisions while receiving treatment from their device.

1. Patients get access to remote management of side effects and experience relief

-Clinical advice through the chat box

-Patient education for self-care

-Alert to physically report to clinic/oncologist for moderate to severe SE

1. Researchers and Health care providers can obtain real-world data for clinical insights

-Structured data collection and analysis for TRSE

-Utilize data for research and to improve service delivery

Our team at Oncopadi Technologies is uniquely positioned to deliver our solution to the target population due to our deep connection and understanding of the communities we serve. Omolola Salako, the team lead of the PROSE app, is an Oncologist with two decades of experience. She has a personal connection to the communities we serve, having grown up in Nigeria and experienced firsthand the challenges faced by cancer patients in accessing quality care.

During her years studying medicine at the University of Lagos, witnessing the suffering of cancer patients from treatment side effects motivated her to establish a non-governmental organization, Sebeccly Cancer Care, to raise funds for cancer patients with limited incomes. Over the years, this organization has supported about 30,000 women in Nigeria. She also co-founded Oncopadi with Adaorah Enyi, who shares the same commitment to supporting cancer patients with the management of their treatment side effects.

As one of the 90 Oncologists in the country, Omolola Salako is pioneering the use of technology in cancer care. This proximity to the community allows her to design and implement our solution in a way that is meaningful and impactful, guided by the input, ideas, and agendas of the communities.

Our team's approach is deeply rooted in community engagement. We have conducted extensive research and outreach to understand the specific needs and challenges faced by cancer patients in Nigeria. This has allowed us to design a solution that is not only technically sound but also culturally sensitive and responsive to the unique circumstances of the communities we serve.

In conclusion, our team's proximity to the communities we serve, as well as our commitment to community engagement, make us the right people to design and deliver this solution and provide a positive impact on the lives of cancer patients in Nigeria.

PROSE app has progressed to the growth stage, supported by the following key developments:

1. Organized a series of MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) to refine the app's functionality and user experience.

2. Developed the first version of the app, followed by a second version with enhanced quality and features.

3. Secured intellectual property rights to protect our innovations.

4. Attracted 137 users to the app, achieving a notable 62% utilization rate, and gathered detailed feedback to inform further improvements.

5. Received local and global grants and recognition, enabling us to expand our digital portfolio. With grant support, we developed the initial app version and created an online course for primary care physicians and healthcare workers on managing treatment-related side effects in cancer patients.

6. Engaged in focus group discussions (FGDs) with patients and caregivers, as well as in-depth individual interviews (IDII) with oncology professionals, to gain valuable insights for app development.

7. Published research articles to contribute to the body of knowledge in cancer care and digital health.

We are applying to Solve because we need their support and connections to innovators addressing global health challenges.

Solve will help us overcome the following barriers:

1. Financial Barriers: While we have received initial funding, we require additional financial support to scale our operations and reach more underserved communities.

2. Technical Expertise: Receiving technical support from Solve will help PROSECare app with valuable insights and guidance to enhance the technical aspects of our solution.This support can help us improve the functionality and effectiveness of the PROSECare app.

3. Legal and Regulatory Challenges: Navigation of legal and regulatory requirements, especially in healthcare.

4. Cultural and Market Understanding: Solve's network can provide insights and connections to help us better understand and serve the needs of our target populations or communities.

6 Full time staff
3 Part time staff

2 years

To ensure diversity, minimize barriers to opportunity, and provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, our team at Oncopadi Technologies adopts several strategies:

1. Diverse Leadership: Our leadership team is intentionally diverse, reflecting a range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives from oncologists to Web developers. This diversity extends to considerations of tribes, religion, social orientation, and other identity factors.

2. Equity and Opportunity: We prioritize equity by providing equal access to opportunities and advancement for all team members.  This includes actively identifying and addressing unique and systemic barriers that may prevent the full participation of marginalized groups.

3. Inclusive Environment: We strive to create an inclusive environment where all team members feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. This involves fostering a culture of open communication, empathy, and mutual respect.

4. Intersectionality: Our goal is to embrace intersectionality in our diversity efforts. This means recognizing and addressing the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, gender, class, and sexuality, and how they overlap and intersect in individuals' lives.

5. Continuous Learning and Improvement: We are committed to ongoing learning and improvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes regularly reviewing our practices, policies, and procedures to ensure they promote diversity and inclusion.

By embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, we believe we can create a more innovative, resilient, and impactful organization.