Despite the fact that antithrombotic drugs have few or even negative effects on the well-being of cancer patients during their last phase of life, they are rarely discontinued. A European consortium, led by the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), has received a Horizon Europe grant of 6 million euros to develop an app that makes stopping medication a topic of discussion for doctors and patients. This is reported by the LUMC.
Many patients with cancer receive antithrombotic drugs. These drugs inhibit the clotting of the blood, which reduces the risk of thrombosis. Often these drugs are taken until death, despite potential side effects such as bleeding and a decreased quality of life. “This medication is rarely stopped during the last phase of life,” says professor Erik Klok, an internist in vascular medicine. “That is due to the lack of scientific evidence, but also because there is too little talk about death and death by the treating physician and the patient.”
Stop or continue?
Klok, co-initiator Professor Simon Noble from Cardiff (Wales) and European colleagues hope to stimulate discussion about this in the treatment room with an online app. This application initiates the conversation between doctor and patient through questions. It also estimates the patient’s individual risk of bleeding and thrombosis. “We want to tailor the app to the individual patient as much as possible. We take into account, among other things, gender, religion and tumor type. The questions in the app are tailored to this.” Klok emphasizes that the app does not indicate whether the patient should stop taking medication. “The app does not give advice, but makes stopping medication a topic for discussion. The ultimate decision rests with the patient, which gives him more control over his or her own disease process and can actually make a well-considered decision that fits in with his or her preferences and values.”
Quality of dying
Klok and other LUMC colleagues have previously developed a specific care path for stopping antithrombotic medication during the last phase of life. “With this research, we want to generate the necessary scientific data on which we can base new treatment guidelines. We do this together with 14 European partners.”
The first two years of the so-called SERENITY project will be devoted to epidemiological and qualitative research, consensus building and app development. In this respect, explicit attention is paid to the perspectives of doctors and patients. “After that we will test the app in practice. We compare the results of patients who have used the app with patients who have not. We expect the app to lead to better use of antithrombotic drugs, prevention of bleeding and significant cost savings. But also to improve the quality of life and treatment satisfaction of patients, their carers and the healthcare staff involved.”
By: National Care Guide