Surrey initiative targets remote patient monitoring

The Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) allows patients to report the side effects from their chemotherapy via a mobile phone.  According to the university, this information is then sent securely to a computer, which assesses their symptoms and triggers alerts to doctors or nurses if they require specialist intervention.

The system also provides patients with real-time information and advice on how to manage their symptoms at home, without having to hospital.

Researchers believe that using ASyMS will reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, and help to identify and treat those which are life-threatening much quicker than current care systems.  In addition, it is anticipated that the use of ASyMS will significantly reduce healthcare costs.

A €6m grant from the European Union will fund a large 1,000 patient trial in England, Austria, Greece, Holland, Ireland and Norway, with the hope that the new system will be integrated into routine cancer care in the future. The research team is also developing and testing the system for use by people with other types of cancer and long-term conditions such as heart failure.