A new smartphone application is available to support cancer patients and their families during meetings with care providers.
The My Care Conversations app – developed in partnership between Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Cancer Foundation – enables patients to record their discussions with their cancer care team to help them remember and confirm what was talked about.
“Research shows patients may forget up to 80 per cent of health-care information discussed at clinic visits,” says Mauro Chies, AHS vice-president of cancer control and clinical support services.
“Large amounts of new information and words that are unfamiliar can be confusing. This app allows patients to record their clinic conversations and later share those with trusted family and friends, and other members of their care team, to help communicate information and reduce misunderstandings.”
Research shows recording and relistening to discussions with one’s care team, then sharing and discussing this information with family and trusted friends, reduces anxiety, improves recall of information and decreases the number of followup phone calls and visits.
“The Alberta Cancer Foundation is pleased to make this investment on behalf of our donors,” says president and CEO George Andrews.
“We know how difficult a cancer diagnosis can be for patients and their families, and we are proud to be part of an initiative that makes that process easier and empowers Albertans to become active members of their cancer journey.”
In Alberta, patients have the right to record their clinical conversations. My Care Conversations has been developed with security features and functions that go beyond a standard recording app on a smartphone.
The app also enables patients to take notes, create files, offers questions a patient may want to ask their care team, and links to other information and resources.
My Care Conversations is available for download on the App Store for Apple devices, and on Google Home for Android devices. See ahs.ca/cancer/Page16144.aspx for more information.
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