The appreciation to the people who treated me motivated me to participate in a clinical study

The 53-year old woman also believes that the study can benefit other cancer patients

This woman with a breast cancer is one of the 40 study patients of the University Hospital Complex of Ourense (CHUO-SERGAS) in Spain, where the clinical study of PERISTS takes place. She also shares that being a part of a clinical study makes her feel cared for, even from a distance. At the same time, however, the permanent observation keeps the illness close to mind: ‘It forces me constantly to think about myself, how I feel, and that, sometimes, is negative because I feel that it does not allow me to move on’, the women says. She believes that technology can help cancer patients and survivors and, as an example, she would like to make use of an application that includes a reminder of the medical appointments related to oncology. Although the connection between the phone application and the bracelet is sometimes a bit cumbersome, the patient is persistent in fulfilling her commitment to connect, make the videos and fill out the questionnaires, which she finds interesting.

Another patient of the same hospital – a 68-old man with colon cancer – joined the study because ‘it was a proposal of medical breakthrough’. ‘In the study I am comfortable. I would highlight as positive, that it is a good guideline to be controlled’, he says. The operation with the smart bracelet is not always smooth – ‘I don´t think it makes life easier’. But it is worth trying, because it helps the patient himself and it can improve the advancement against cancer. ‘I believe that everything that helps patients, both in technology and other advances, is always positive’, the patient says. He thinks that the study would be more beneficial for the patient if glucose levels measurement is included and recommends that such studies are applied for other diseases as well.