BOSTON — November, 27, 2024 — Supported by a two-year grant from Yosemite, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center launches a study to alleviate the challenges cancer patients face in understanding their medical test results. Led by OpenNotes, the study, “Mitigating Misinformation & Scanxiety for Cancer Patients,” focuses on reducing the stress and confusion patients may face when receiving medical test results electronically before having the opportunity to discuss them with a clinician.
“Scanxiety” refers to the anxiety and distress that patients often experience while waiting for or interpreting medical imaging or diagnostic test results, especially in the context of serious conditions like cancer. This study builds on insights and prior research resulting from the Open Results learning collaborative, and explores how emerging technologies, including AI-generated test result interpretations, can make complex medical information clearer and more accessible.
“By addressing scanxiety and misinformation, we are working towards a future where patients feel more supported and informed through digital health technologies,” said Catherine M. DesRoches, DrPH, Executive Director of OpenNotes at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Principal Investigator for the study.
In partnership with UCHealth – Colorado and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, investigators will work with cancer patients, radiologists, and oncology clinicians to co-design patient-friendly summaries for diagnostic scans to ensuring these tools reflect the needs of both groups, then test AI-generated summaries with patients at UC Health to evaluate their accuracy, relevance, and readability. The study will also examine the challenges and costs of integrating such tools into clinical workflows, ensuring their scalability and potential for widespread adoption.
“We believe that oncologists, primary care providers and patients working together will make AI tools that improve lives,” said CT Lin, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer at UCHealth and Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and co-Principal Investigator. “This collaboration is a testament to the power of shared knowledge and patient input.”
Supported by Yosemite—a venture capital firm that supports researchers across the oncology ecosystem—the study is part of the OpenNotes Lab, which is an environment to test new research initiatives in partnership with patients, clinicians, and developers.
For further information on OpenNotes and their work, visit https://opennotes.org.
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About OpenNotes
OpenNotes is an international movement spreading, studying, and teaching transparent communication among patients, families, and clinicians. When clinical notes are shared with patients, they are called ‘open notes.’ OpenNotes is motivated by evidence indicating that when health professionals offer patients and families ready access to clinical notes, the quality and safety of care improves. Primarily focused on research and education, OpenNotes is a not-for-profit and is based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a major Harvard Medical School teaching hospital.
About UCHealth
Based in the Rocky Mountain region, UCHealth strives to promote individual and community health and leave no question unanswered along the way. Their network of nationally-recognized hospitals, clinic locations and health care providers extends throughout Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. As a 501(c) (3) health system, UCHealth was formed in 2012 to increase access to innovative and advanced patient care, realize supply chain and IT efficiencies, and better serve patients throughout the Rocky Mountain region by combining academic-based and community-focused medicine. Together, the clinics and hospitals within UCHealth offer the most advanced treatments to improve the lives of patients and their families in Colorado and beyond.
About Yosemite
Yosemite partners with leading researchers and innovative entrepreneurs working to make cancer non-lethal within our lifetime. The firm deploys capital from early non-profit grantees through late-stage companies to fund advancements across the oncology ecosystem.
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