The specialists at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam had been working with a problem for a long time. Details regarding treatments and medicine courses were available through a cumbersome information system only accessible from a desktop computer. Things had to change, and luckily we had some options.
The solution soon became apparent: An app detailing this information would be ideal.
Which is exactly what we rolled out in the first instance. An app is a permanent fixture on any smartphone and faster to access than a mobile website. Since the app is only intended for doctors, things like online findability or communication aren’t that important.
Bringing complex information together in an orderly manner
Various ‘tumor groups’ – best described as groups of doctors who deal with one specific type of tumor – are fully active within the AVL. Different treatments are available for each tumor type and depend on the stage of the cancer. In addition, each stage adopts different ways to diagnose.
We opted for a simple setup. On opening the app, the user immediately sees an overview of all available tumor types. From there, the user clicks through to find the different stages. Within those stages there is a list of available treatments.
Het overzicht van de tumorgroepen 
De tumorgroep met bijbehorende stadia en extra informatie 
Een stadium van een tumorgroep met daarin de beschikbare behandelingen
Treatment lines and dose adjustment table
Each treatment has several treatment lines. Some have two or three, others as many as twenty. Each treatment line can be found within the app. Some treatments also include a course of medicine. A course of medicine requires different doses, depending on the patient’s condition or blood values. These dose adjustments need to be transparent.
Which is why we also created a dose adjustment table in the app for all courses of medication. It shows the doctors under which conditions doses require adjustment. The adjustments are directly accessible from the treatments.
Overzicht van 3 behandellijnen 
Overzicht van 2 behandellijnen met doorklik naar dosisaanpassingstabel 
Dosisaanpassingstabel voor medicijnkuur
Managing the app, editing and roll-out to other hospitals
Within the AVL, a so-called editorial board has been appointed to manage the app content. We work alongside them. The ‘tumor groups’ provide the relevant information, the editorial board ensures it’s uploaded, so the app remains up to date.
The app content is managed using WordPress. It’s uploaded through WordPress API and is easy to manage, only requiring monthly maintenance!
What began as a pilot has now rolled out across the AVL, with access for all doctors. Users can leave feedback regarding content. This is processed and adapted when the app is updated, ensuring it works efficiently and is more future-proof.
If successful, the app will also be available in other hospitals, providing doctors with complex information in their pockets.