Doctor and dad helping others with cancer maps
PAIR DEVISE DIAGNOSIS TOOL FOR GPS
A LOUGBOROUGH GP has joined forces with his dad to invent an online mind-mapping tool to help GPs speed up cancer diagnosis.
Dr Ben Noble, a GP at the Woodbrook practice in Loughborough and one of Cancer Research UK’s 16 GP leads across the country, teamed up with his dad, Patrick Noble, a retired computer programmer, to develop the intuitive diagnostic aid.
The innovative “Cancer Maps” were developed to help make it easier for GPs to navigate the cancer recognition and referral guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) in 2015.
Dr Noble’s brainchild has now been endorsed by Nice and the Royal College of GPs and will soon be rolled out across the UK.
It will also be used to help train GPs and other health professionals through Gateway C, an online cancer education platform for primary care.
Dr Noble said: “I’ve always used mind maps to help me make sense of lots of data – it’s a habit I got into at medical school. Cancer diagnosis and referral is complex and requires GPs to keep abreast of a great deal of information as well as the appropriate NICE guidance. I realised it lent itself perfectly to mind-mapping.
“It started as something to help me in my role as Cancer Research UK’s GP Lead for Leicestershire, but I soon realised it had further potential. I needed someone with a lot of technical knowhow to help me design it, and my dad was the obvious choice. I have the medical knowledge and he has the IT expertise, so together we were a perfect pair!”
The Cancer Maps were piloted by 37 GPs from different regions, mainly in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.
They consist of three different, brightly-coloured maps covering different organs of the body. The interactive tool is intended largely for use by GPs as an aid during consultations.
If the doctor suspects cancer, the patient’s age, sex and symptoms are keyed in and areas of the maps will light up, flagging potential routes for action. Results can be seen by doctor and patient, reassuring patients the right steps are being taken. As well as highlighting when a referral ought to be made – for example for a chest X-ray, a scan or for an urgent referral – the user can also click on the relevant pathway for more detailed information about guidelines.
Over half of the GPs who tested the pilot Cancer Maps said using the tool prompted them to refer a patient for further investigation when they otherwise might not have done.
Feedback also showed the great majority of the GPs indicated they would recommend the tool to other healthcare professionals, and nine out of 10 GPs said they felt more confident about making cancer referrals.
“I’m delighted the maps have had such a positive response from other professionals. And 100 per cent of patients who used the tool alongside their GPs have also given it the thumbs up.”