Cape Town - Cansa, along with the Centre of Community Technology at Nelson Mandela University, aims to make an impact in the lives of patients through its latest initiative sponsored by Pfizer.
The Cansa Pain Management app, which was launched as part of International Cancer Survivors Day, will help patients and caregivers with information to cope better with challenges linked to pain.
Celebrated annually, on the first Sunday of June, the day honours those living with cancer and how it impacts their lives on a daily basis.
Among the first people to use the app was Alida Veldsman from Gqebera. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.
Veldsman said the app gives people insight into the overall picture of how well one can manage pain and what the levels of pain are.
“It also helps me to see whether there is a pattern in the occurrence of pain, how it relates to the treatment regime and (reminds) me of things I tend to forget.
“It gives me a feeling of control of my cancer and pain. It is very easy to use and available at the touch of a button on my phone,” she said.
Head of service at Cansa, Gerda Strauss, said managing pain effectively throughout treatment will ensure that cancer patients have a less traumatic experience and a good quality of life.
“We don’t always understand how isolating cancer can be for a patient. It is difficult to convey the level of discomfort they experience, and this can be frustrating for those taking care of them or loved ones who don’t know how to help. When a patient better understands their own pain and how to clearly communicate this to a caretaker, they can better address and treat the pain.
“The Cansa Pain Management app is the first of its kind in South Africa and is only in its first phase of development. The feedback data received from patients and caretakers using the app will be used to grow the app to be more effective and useful to patients and caretakers,” she said.
Director of the Centre of Community Technology at Nelson Mandela University, Darelle van Greunen said: “Pain is an under-estimated part of the journey of a cancer survivor and often leaves the survivor and caregiver at a loss of what to do and how to report it to the healthcare team. Through life experiences, we learnt to innovate and to consider how technology can assist in managing the challenges.
(One also has the) opportunity to record information about the pain management process by both cancer survivor and caregiver. (It is) much easier to capture information on an app than on pieces of paper or trying to remember (and this) also allows you to see patterns of pain occurrences,” he said.
The app can be downloaded for free on all android and iOS devices. For more information, email: info@cansa.org.za or call: 0800 22 66 22.
Weekend Argus