A partnership between the Portuguese Society of Senology (SPS) and VirtualCare – Systems for Life, a spin-off of the University of Porto, born in CINTESIS, will equip 20 Breast Centers of Portuguese hospitals with an innovative electronic clinical record. Other hospitals, both public and private, could eventually join this initiative.
The agreement was signed last October 12, in Coimbra, during the X National Senology Congress, by the then president of the Portuguese Senology Society, Luís Sá, and by the VirtualCare CEO, Tiago Costa.
According to the manager, BreastSPS will allow to collect and aggregate, in a single place, all the information about the patients followed in the Breast Centers, in an organized, codified and structured way. So far, this information did not exist or was dispersed by different systems and applications.
By aggregating all the information existing in the same place, this new software will support the clinical activity of the mammary pathology, enabling better patient follow-up. The registry will include information such as symptoms, morphology, lesion site, results of complementary exams, data from the group consultations and therapeutic decision.
Tiago Costa stresses that the installation of the application in these Breast Centers of the country should have “obvious advantages in the clinical aspect, but also in the management and research aspects”.
“BreastSPS creates the conditions for better care for breast cancer patients, as well as for an effective comparison between the various Breast Centers and the development of more and better research,” she says.
As explained by Eliana Sousa, who is part of the VirtualCare team, the application will have an impact on the professionals’ daily routine, insofar as it indicates all the necessary steps and procedures, allowing to follow specific standards, guidelines and protocols of this area.
As it can be accessed by all registered users from any computer in the network, it also enables better interaction among the various specialists, namely surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, radiotherapists, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, among others.
“By using the application, experts can get an overview of the course of the patient, which can span several years of follow-up,” he explains.
In addition, the application produces some alerts (for example, when the patient is referred for Genetic consultation or when integrating a clinical trial) and provides support in the management and organization of services.
For Eliana Sousa, another advantage is the categorization of available information, which allows us to generate useful indicators for the purpose of certifying the Units, in accordance with the requirements of Eusoma – European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists.
In this way, it is believed that it will be possible to improve adherence to Good Practices and standardize processes, which will result in greater quality and fairness in the treatment of breast cancer patients in all hospitals and health institutions in the country.
This version was specially developed for the SPS, and is a substitute of BreastCare, already adopted by the São João Hospital, in Porto, in 2007, and by the Champalimaud Foundation, in Lisbon, since 2013, with excellent results.