Cohort 3

Alex Gan

  • Dermatology Registrar
  • University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
  • @alexgan112
  • 2022

In my 12 months as a Topol Digital Fellow I will drive progress in digital remote monitoring of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in Dermatology patients with chronic inflammatory dermatoses, which will transform outpatient management in this patient group.

Digital remote monitoring using PROMs in Dermatology patients to improve management

My Topol fellowship problem / project:

During my time as a Topol Digital Fellow, I aim to drive progress in digital remote monitoring of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in Dermatology patients with chronic inflammatory dermatoses.

Ultimately, this will encourage greater patient involvement in their care. The current way of collecting PROMs only when they attend clinic every 3-4 months may fail to capture the full picture of the patients’ disease trajectory. If a system can be implemented such that PROMs  can be inputted remotely by the patients, then this could lead to more frequent and regular captures of PROMs.

Furthermore, clinicians will receive a better idea of disease-control and treatment efficacy. Clinicians could then decide if patients require their follow up appointments, or could be given patient-initiated follow-ups (PIFU), avoiding unnecessary patient attendance and travel to clinic.

This has the potential to transform outpatient management in this group of patients and play an invaluable role in streamlining services.

Moreover, the environmental impact of reduced unnecessary patient travel to clinic is substantial, with travel emissions estimated to contribute approximately 10% of the overall NHS carbon footprint.

I am currently an ST5 Dermatology Registrar, working across Derby and Nottingham, delivering outpatient as well as acute inpatient dermatology care. I have a keen interest in progressing the digitalisation of NHS services, and have been involved in various projects including leading a phototriage study with my Derby dermatology department and being digital subcommittee lead of the Doctors in Training Committee during core training.

I am also passionate about championing environmental sustainability within Dermatology and firmly believe that digital innovation will play a big role in improving sustainability. It is crucial that we act swiftly on this matter to preserve the future of this planet.

I hope to be able to champion digital transformation locally in the first instance, as well as be part of the larger scale national transformation programme.