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BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 1/2012

Open Access 01-12-2012 | Software

Evaluation of the use of decision-support software in carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA)-based follow-up of patients with colorectal cancer

Authors: Charlotte J Verberne, Cornelis H Nijboer, Geertruida H de Bock, Irene Grossmann, Theo Wiggers, Klaas Havenga

Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making | Issue 1/2012

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Abstract

Background

The present paper is a first evaluation of the use of "CEAwatch", a clinical support software system for surgeons for the follow-up of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This system gathers Carcino-Embryonic Antigen (CEA) values and automatically returns a recommendation based on the latest values.

Methods

Consecutive patients receiving follow-up care for CRC fulfilling our in- and exclusion criteria were identified to participate in this study. From August 2008, when the software was introduced, patients were asked to undergo the software-supported follow-up. Safety of the follow-up, experiences of working with the software, and technical issues were analyzed.

Results

245 patients were identified. The software-supported group contained 184 patients; the control group contained 61 patients. The software was safe in finding the same amount of recurrent disease with fewer outpatient visits, and revealed few technical problems. Clinicians experienced a decrease in follow-up workload of up to 50% with high adherence to the follow-up scheme.

Conclusion

CEAwatch is an efficient software tool helping clinicians working with large numbers of follow-up patients. The number of outpatient visits can safely be reduced, thus significantly decreasing workload for clinicians.
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Metadata
Title
Evaluation of the use of decision-support software in carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA)-based follow-up of patients with colorectal cancer
Authors
Charlotte J Verberne
Cornelis H Nijboer
Geertruida H de Bock
Irene Grossmann
Theo Wiggers
Klaas Havenga
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making / Issue 1/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6947-12-14

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