With over 6,000 new cases every year, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The new app and the website of the same name, www.patiospots.com, were developed together with sufferers for sufferers. They are designed to make everyday life easier for sufferers with many helpful features on various topics such as everyday working life, self-care, sexuality, partnership, incontinence and others.
Info: www.patiospots.com
"The diagnosis of prostate cancer is drastic for those affected and their social environment. All of a sudden, the realities of their lives change. What is then needed is well-founded information, education about the disease and exchange with other sufferers. Digital health apps can make a significant contribution to knowledge transfer, above all to making everyday life easier and - most importantly - to maintaining a good quality of life," explains Prof. Dr. Markus Mitterhauser, who is responsible for the www.patiospots.com project and led the project as Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Applied Diagnostics.
Together with his team and the so-called co-researchers, consisting of patients from various self-help groups in Austria, he is also responsible for the app.
Information, orientation, communication
The "PATIO" team has spent the last few years researching the needs of prostate cancer sufferers and their social environment. This knowledge has now been incorporated into the app and the website. Both tools are designed to navigate users through everyday life and include various features, such as a toilet finder, valuable information on important contact and health centers, the legal situation in the workplace and financial and health support applications.
"An important part of the educational work is also dispelling myths and building a community," says Prof. Dr. Mitterhauser. In the "PATIOSpots" forum, patients can find answers to their questions from those affected, such as "Do I tell my relatives?", "...and my work colleagues?", "How will my partner react?", "How should I prepare for an operation?", "How long after treatment will I be absent from work?"
Contribution of digital solutions to healthcare
"The app is another important step towards personalized medicine. In future, an important part of our efforts will not only focus on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, but will also have to include practical solutions in the healthcare of tomorrow. This is the only way we can meet the major challenges currently facing the healthcare system," explains Prof. Dr. Shahrokh F. Shariat, Head of the Department of Urology and Head of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at MedUni Vienna/University Hospital Vienna. The "PATIO" initiative is supported by the Medical University of Vienna and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, among others.
Awareness campaign "Living with prostate cancer" during Men's Health Month in November
A broad media campaign will draw attention to the app and website in November 2023.
Among other things, a broad social media campaign, an info screen campaign and a poster and flyer campaign for general practitioners and urologists in private practice are planned.
About PATIO - Understanding those affected! A holistic view of prostate cancer!
An initiative of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Applied Diagnostics
Those affected - prostate cancer patients and their relatives - have the knowledge and experience. The "PATIO" (= Patient Involvement in Oncology) initiative pools their knowledge and paves the way for it to be incorporated into scientific research.
The "PATIO" initiative stands for individualized medicine, which in future will accompany prostate cancer patients before, during and after treatment - tailored to their needs. In order to shape the healthcare of tomorrow, nine patients and one family member are currently involved in the project. The aim is to harmoniously complement the new, high-quality medical treatment options with direct experience and everyday knowledge.