Summary

Mobile Early Detection and Prevention of Oral Cancer (mEDPOC) is a technology based program developed by Biocon Foundation for oral cancer screening and prevention. The primary beneficiary includes disadvantaged sections of the society who have limited access to healthcare resources .

Program goals

The project aims at downstaging oral cancer by early detection and prevention of oral lesions at the community level.

Key program components

Community health workers are trained to gather baseline data on oral health,capture data and counsel individuals. CHWs screen the community for oral lesions and with the help of touch screen mobile phones upload a patients information to the program's open medical record system, including a picture of the lesion, if any. The Oral Cancer Detection and Prevention program has an annual target of screening 30,000 individuals in both urban and rural areas.

Specialists, sitting in remote location can view the condition and decide on the diagnosis. Community health worker receive the diagnosis back from the specialist and inform the patient. Patients with mild and moderate lesions are provided with vitamin A ointments for down staging. Patients who require secondary and tertiary care are referred to appropriate centers.

Each patient has a unique ID on the open Medical Record System where information on the patients oral health is stored, such as their tobacco history and clinical photographs gathered by the CHWs.

Future Plans

Biocon Foundation intends to scale up its program through the National Health Policy under non-communicable diseases (NCD) prevention disease control program. The foundation plans to advocate this model to dental colleges in India by 2017.