My Path

MYPATH AMBITIONS:

The overall ambition of MyPath is to deliver a sustainable solution for cancer patients to improve supportive, palliative, survivorship, and end-of-life care (2022-2027). The goals of the MyPath research project are two-fold. First, we aim to co-design MyPath – a smart digital solution that integrates patient-centred care pathways with existing tumour-centred centred care – in nine European cancer settings in Europe, including the University Hospital of Brussels. MyPath will be integrated in the electronic medical record of patients with cancer. Second, we aim to implement MyPath and evaluate its effectiveness, the implementation process, and its cost-effectiveness.

BENEFITS OF THE MYPATH PROJECT:

The innovative MyPath, based upon scientific evidence, will improve the quality of life of patients and family, promote patient empowerment and change the way healthcare providers work. We will systematically assess certain domains of quality of life throughout the cancer trajectory and deliver care pathways accordingly. The pathways will be easily accessible for patients, families, and healthcare providers. Both patients and their family, as well as healthcare providers can provide, receive, and have access to essential information, facilitating communication with healthcare providers from outside the hospital. Further, MyPath offers healthcare providers an individual plan as to when and where their competence is needed during the patient trajectory. Care plans are detailed in MyPath, and it will reduce waste of healthcare providers’ time and decrease cost for the healthcare system. The use of MyPath has a large potential to make the working days more efficient, improve the patient-provider continuity, and improve of the job satisfaction of the healthcare providers.

ECONOMIC/TECHNOLOGICAL IMPACT:

The MyPath consortium will undertake any effort to make the solution affordable to the healthcare systems in Europe and worldwide. To ensure the market uptake of MyPath, its cost-effectiveness and impact on the healthcare system and clinical workflows will be thoroughly studied while overseeing the innovation process within the project duration and prepare a post-project exploitation roadmap.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE ARE ADDRESSING:

The Holy Grail in Cancer Care is the delivery of evidence based care (knowledge on what works in the majority of patients). This applies to patients at all stages of a cancer diagnosis and including those who finished treatment with a curative intent. The Gold Standard of that care consists of a patient-centred approach integrated with a tumour-centred approach; however, the former has been a clinical challenge. The two cancer care paradigms need to be combined at all stages of the disease, to optimize patient outcomes. This is the challenge we wish to address.

WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM:

In Europe, the tumour-centred approach is systematic and subject to clear guidance along with internal and external scrutiny, however, the patient-centred approach is subject to random implementation with substantial inequities, even within the same cancer centre. The current paradigm of cancer care is seen largely through the optics of the tumour, in spite of the fact that we have plentiful, robust evidence of what works in a patient-centred approach.