|
The
CancerHelp System is now available at the Mountain Laurel Center!
What
is CancerHelp?
The CancerHelp Institute says that "Cancer
patient education is a critical component of cancer patient care. Cancer
patients and their families need timely information to make important treatment
and lifestyle decisions. CancerHelp is a clinically proven computer information
system that helps cancer professionals meet these information needs. As a
result, patients can get the information they need to fight their cancer"
(1999, p. 1). Basically, the CancerHelp Computer is a computer with a
touch-screen monitor, which houses the CancerHelp program. CancerHelp
is a database which contains the most up-to-date information about all different
types of cancer, cancer prevention, cancer screenings, cancer treatments, and
cancer research.
History
The CancerHelp system was developed by cancer
patients, for cancer patients and their families. Kathryn O'Keefe, a breast
cancer patient, started the CancerHelp Institute in 1991. She and others at the
Institute recognized the need for cancer patients to have access to a computer
database devoted entirely to cancer, one that was easy to use, comprehensive,
and that would be updated and expanded frequently so that it contained the most
up-to-date information possible on cancer research and treatments. Kathryn
worked closely with the National Cancer Institute, and with medical and
technical professionals, to direct the design of the CancerHelp software.
|
|
|
The first CancerHelp Computer was placed at the
Kellogg Cancer Care Center in Evanston, Illinois, shortly before Kathryn passed
away. CancerHelp systems were later installed at two additional sites in
Illinois. Then, in 1994, the CancerHelp Institute participated in a National
Cancer Institute study of PDQ's Patient Information File. The results of the
study showed that CancerHelp successfully dispersed cancer information to
patients and saved health professionals time. Information from the study of the
system conducted at The University of Rochester Cancer Center was published in
the journal Cancer Practice in 1996. Today, over 230 hospitals, wellness
centers, and oncology practices subscribe to CancerHelp.
How
it Works
The CancerHelp system assists cancer patients and
their families in educating themselves about cancer by providing them with a
user-friendly, interactive database that includes all the most up-to-date
information about cancer research and treatment, cancer prevention and
screenings, strategies for coping with cancer, services and organizations that
support cancer patients and their families, and a variety of other relevant
topics. In essence, CancerHelp was designed to address any question or concern
that a person might have about cancer. The
CancerHelp program runs on a touch-screen computer that is attached to a
printer, so that patients do not need to be computer literate, or able to use a
keyboard, to access the database.
The CancerHelp Institute updates the CancerHelp
system on a monthly basis, so CancerHelp users can always find the latest
information available about cancer. The system contains information adapted for
patients, which is explained in everyday, easy-to-understand language, as well
as clinical data geared toward medical professionals. In addition,
the information in the CancerHelp database can
be accessed in either English or Spanish.
|
