MIKA app gives cancer patients help to help themselves - modern cancer therapy assistant as a smartphone app

The idea behind MIKA is to be able to focus more closely on the quality of life of those affected as a criterion. “The main focus is on self-management. We give patients a tool to do something themselves,” explains Prof. Mehnert-Theuerkauf. "MIKA provides targeted information or makes suggestions on topics such as stress, exercise, nutrition, sleep hygiene."

In principle, the free app is intended for all patients with cancer. After it has been downloaded, users can start by entering their specific cancer and other basic data such as symptoms or the current personal burden. An artificial intelligence (AI) classifies the entered data with the help of algorithms and provides specific information and tips. "If, for example, a certain level of stress is exceeded, MIKA becomes active and advises the person concerned to seek support," says psychologist Mehnert-Theuerkauf. Or if the entered parameters indicate a tense mood, MIKA can give tips for relaxation training, for example. The app works a lot with pictures and is visually very well prepared, says the expert.

Prof. Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf now hopes that MIKA will be well received: "It is the first app of its kind and a low-threshold offer," she says, "we hope to use it to reach patients who want to clarify questions outside of the medical consultation or additionally want to do something for their quality of life in everyday life. Needs-based psycho-oncological advice is not replaced by the MIKA app, but supplemented.”

As a medical product, the MIKA app meets high quality and safety standards. dr Jan Simon Raue, MIKA founder and Managing Director of Fosanis GmbH, relies on the highest level of data security. “All personal data records are located on German servers and are stored in data centers that are ISO 27001 certified. When it comes to patient safety using MIKA, we make no compromises. As a developer and provider of a digital medical product, we are aware of our special responsibility.” The fact that Fosanis meets the high quality management requirements in the development and manufacture of medical devices is also confirmed by its certification according to the EN ISO 13485 standard.

The smartphone app is freely available in both the Apple App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android) and can be downloaded from a smartphone or tablet.

UCCL patients now also receive promotional codes to activate a separate UCCL area.

Source: Press release from the Leipzig University Hospital of September 23.09.2020, XNUMX