Battling Leukaemia
Monday, 22nd December 2003
On the BBC I found this article on a new system to help with the treatment Leukaemia
LISA ( Leukaemia Intervention Scheduling and Advice) is
“An internet application could ensure patients with leukaemia do not receive dangerous doses of chemotherapy”
Fantastic! No more leukaemia patients being prescribed the “wrong” drugs. And one day we can use this for other forms of cancer and other illnesses and all you’ll need to do is feed in your symptoms at home and get your miracle cure dellivered to your doorstep – hurrah, no more doctors…..
Hang on a sec – much as I’m in favour of making the lives of doctors and nurses easier and providing them with adequate patient and treatment information – do we really need a piece of software to make their judgements and descisions for them? Are years of medical training going to be replaced by databases and search engines? Are we going to end up with the job of a medical practitioner merely involving cataloguing symptoms and mindlessly dispensing medication? I sincerely hope not – if someone’s giving me potentially harmful drugs, I’d really like to think they know why.
Richard Evans Lee:
Maybe they do need such. A couple of times recently my life-partner’s psychiatrist has suggested drugs that would interact badly with the medications his crohn’s disease require he take for the rest of his life. He knew the interactions, she didn’t.
But, really, I’d hate to be in the hands of a physician who hadn’t had a few years seasoning. Too much they can only know from hands-on practice.
Monday 22nd, December 2003
at 9:20 pm
Meri:
I would hope that this sort of system would be exactly what it says on the tin … a decision SUPPORT system. It should enable, not replace doctors. It should identify things that are completely data-driven … such as medicines interacting badly with each other. Then doctors can work more on the identifying the right symptoms, patient care, etc.
I would hope that this might also expand to help with diagnosis too. If every time a doctor decides (possibly with the aid of the system) that patient X has ailment Y, then also feeds any extra data into the system (e.g. blood test results, etc) then we might find new links that will help diagnose in the future. It could help move medicine forward and also help protect patients from misdiagnosis.
Monday 22nd, December 2003
at 9:36 pm
Richard Evans Lee:
I can’t really picture what medical care is like for most people. As an adult I never had an illness until several years ago. I live near a rich private research hospital. It costs me over $3,000 dollars a year but when I don’t feel well the most recent technology and highly competent doctors and staff are there.
I’m hoping, assuming that it won’t be too long before doctors and nurses are able to use their PDA to tap into an online PDR, Medline, and specialized medical libraries. Should they choose to use them. In my beloved’s case I was shocked that the interne he is seeing didn’t think to open the PDR or Merck Manual sitting on her desk.
We’ve benefited much from RXList.com. It has enabled us to evaluate and often reject suggested medications (I live with someone who has IBS, crohn’s disease, generalized anxiety disorder – poor fellow has a tough lot).
Online databases give the patient a chance to be involved in their own care. (Which is more suited to your weblog, Meri. Being a nosey-parker I felt I had to check your partner’s weblog.)
Monday 22nd, December 2003
at 10:00 pm
Meri:
Yes, I think the NHS is talking about that sort of system … not sure that they’re realise it, though, given that they can’t provide traditional healthcare properly ::rolleyes::
LOL at all the links we’re following and random blogs we’re each finding atm!
Monday 22nd, December 2003
at 10:11 pm
Elly:
Providing the information a doctor needs to correctly diagnose and treat and illness is one thing – replacing doctors altogether is quite another.
It’s like copying someone elses homework, no-one ends up better off.
Monday 22nd, December 2003
at 11:16 pm
Dave:
I feel a sudden urge to geek out at this point and wonder what kind of software will be used? I’d prefer it I could be certain my ‘doctor’ wouldn’t crash and prescribe me a year’s supply of suppositories for a headache…
Tuesday 23rd, December 2003
at 12:26 pm