Stakeholder Workshop in Norway: Insights and Feedback on Integrating the REBECCA System into Clinical Settings

In March 2023 REBECCA hosted a stakeholder workshop in Norway to gather feedback from clinical and non-clinical actors on what their needs and challenges would be if they wanted to integrate the REBECCA system into clinical settings. Two expert teams assessed the system’s impact on patient engagement, the eventual skills development needs and the legal requirements to comply with.

One team focused on the system’s integration into clinical settings and the benefits of the REBECCA system. The other team concentrated on the training and support needed for individuals and teams to work with the REBECCA system and the impact of using the tool on the physician-patient relationship and patients’ engagement in the care pathway design.

The system will give medical professionals a better understanding of their patients’ daily lifestyles, leading to improved follow-up and rehabilitation. The system will also provide patients with feedback on their progress, allowing them to participate in decision-making. The system may also identify patients with lower socio-economic status that may require even closer follow-up. REBECCA provides access to real-time objective data, which can help put a spotlight on the importance of lifestyle changes.

However, the system might be too complex for patients without digital competence. It is important to have an easy user and intuitive interface. It would be interesting to conduct a health literacy assessment of patients before they start using the application. Patients should not feel pressured, and the intention of this application is to motivate them.

A detailed discussion was held around the data collected. It is crucial to narrow down data collection to the type of data that will be necessary for the personalised treatment plans. Collecting too much unnecessary data will be overwhelming for healthcare professionals and will make stratification difficult.

The first team noted that wearables can enable patients to share data without actively providing it, which is useful for patients experiencing side effects of treatment, such as fatigue. The REBECCA system will also allow health professionals to communicate continuously with patients, regardless of their location, providing support to patients. However, the system may be overly ambitious and request too much information from patients, which could be burdensome while they are undergoing treatment and suffering from side effects. To scale up the REBECCA project and implement it in clinical settings, regulatory compliance with Norwegian data protection regulations is crucial. Innovative projects should push the boundaries of existing regulations, according to participants with IT background.

Lastly, given that Norwegian hospitals each work with a different system, it will not be possible to integrate REBECCA uniformly in Norwegian clinical settings. REBECCA should therefore be introduced as a separate tool, rather than integrated into already-existing IT, clinical, and administrative systems.

The REBECCA project is moving forward with two additional stakeholder workshops scheduled to take place in Spain and Sweden. These workshops will target clinical and non-clinical staff who are not involved in the project and will provide valuable external perspectives on the REBECCA system. The technical input and feedback received in all three workshops will be integrated to further improve the system. In conclusion, the discussions between the two teams highlighted the potential benefits and attention points for the adoption of REBECCA by end-users. The system has the potential to provide better care for breast cancer patients and facilitate health behaviour change and self-management. It is essential to address the points raised by the stakeholders to ensure that the system is user-friendly and meets patients’ needs while complying with regulatory requirements.