Altron HealthTech’s ThriveLink brings together the expertise, information and support already available in South Africa’s healthcare system – consolidating it all in one accessible place for patients and their care teams. In this piece, clinical and radiation oncologist Dr Ziad Seedat shares his perspective on how an app can streamline cancer care. He highlights the challenges patients face navigating multiple specialists and appointments and explains how digital tools like ThriveLink can improve communication, access to information, and ultimately, the quality of care throughout the treatment journey.
In more than 20 years of treating cancer patients and helping them and their loved ones through this process, one thing really stands out as key, and that’s information. Either too much or too little, and a patient’s treatment becomes less effective than it should be.
Doctors often speak using medical jargon. Patients absorb very little during short consultations, which can be particularly distressing after a cancer diagnosis.
What happens then is that patients get home and are stressed out and often unsure what they heard or what they should do next. In uncertainty, they tend to do nothing. This isn’t due to a lack of willingness. It’s a lack of clarity and difficulty retaining everything a practitioner has said.
Ideally, patients should have more time to understand the information, hear it as often as possible, or be able to access details that specifically pertain to them. They need to be able to double-check, clarify, or ensure they are following the prescribed course of action.
The traditional structure of patient management compounds this. It usually takes the form of an in-person consultation, followed by treatment, and then a later follow-up. There’s a large gap in information flow during that period. Information needs to be shared with patients between consultations, not just when they are next seen.
Even basic information is often not shared between specialists or practitioners. It’s no wonder patients feel they are floundering. They’re dealing with technical information that hasn’t been fully explained.
They cannot access knowledge to understand what is going on. They can’t rely on the next caregiver to fill them in because paperwork may not have arrived at that practitioner’s office. They don’t know what to do next or how to do it.
A tool like ThriveLink helps address these challenges by providing patients with access to the right information at the right time and bridging the gap by consolidating data from multiple points of care.
Healthcare practitioners are inundated with large amounts of data, which they have to sort through to get to what they need at that moment. Just collecting data is only half the step. The true benefit is in translating data from all sides into insights that guide informed decisions. This supports better functioning and more effective delivery of care.
A platform like ThriveLink captures a large volume of data from different points of care and presents it in a way that supports clinical decision-making, meaning it is exceptionally valuable for practitioners navigating complex cases.
Information must move securely among all caregivers – doctors, physiotherapists, imaging departments, laboratories, funders, and managed care organisations among others – as well as the patient. Each of these parties is fundamental and has vital information for the patient’s treatment.
An informed patient is important. ThriveLink empowers patients to be involved in decisions that affect their care. Sharing information so patients can help optimise their care should improve efficiency, reduce delays, and make treatment more affordable in the long term.
Locally, the concept of shared value has been proven and extending it into medical treatment supports a more holistic view of patient care. It improves the dynamic between everyone involved and benefits all parties.
ThriveLink enables holistic care because it bridges a gap created by traditional treatment regimens through connecting all parties, facilitating informed decision-making, and strengthening the connection between patients and caregivers.
A smartphone is already a constant companion, so turning it into a digital journey partner is practical. It does not replace a person involved in caregiving, who still has a role.
But it provides immediate guidance, such as what to do next, where to go, and useful information for each stage of treatment. It’s similar to a sports watch that guides you on a run. Here, it guides a patient through their treatment journey.
Time is finite, but data is not. We all have the same 24 hours. The value we create in that time depends on how effectively we use it.
Digital systems such as ThriveLink allow us to process much more information in that limited time, turning raw data into actionable insights and allowing clinicians to focus on what matters most. This makes patient interactions more productive.
Personalised care already exists, but technology can strengthen it. This is not only a patient factor. Healthcare providers benefit too. Technology can filter out irrelevant information, highlighting what matters.
Dr Ziad Seedat is a clinical and radiation oncologist and the MD of Hopelands Cancer Centre, a private oncology service provider.